Hebi No Ko
by Karnia
Summary: She could not fail her most important mission; her father said to become a kunoichi of Konohagakure and dispose of the fox-boy. Caught up in the beauty and people of Konohagakure, she doesn't realise she is failing until it is too late and by then, all hell has broken loose. Sasuke X OC X Itachi. THIS STORY HAS BEEN EDITED TO A NEWER AND BETTER VERSION.
1. Chapter I

_**Hebi No Ko: **_

_**Chapter I:**_

"Swear your allegiance to me, child," a voice hissed; his voice echoed around the empty throne-like room, ringing in her ears and making a shiver crawl down her spine. She could _hear_ his power when he spoke.

The girl's aubergine eyes lifted to meet his and she smiled; one day, she'd be the one with the power while someone knelt at her feet, but for now, he was the one seated like a king. As she bowed her long inky hair fell around her head, spilled over her shoulders and cascaded down her back, tousled.

"I swear myself to you service, father," she said with strength as her voice rung in the emptiness.

The man's lips curled into a sinister smile at her response, he was amused. It was like watching a puppet dangle from strings, the way his daughter obeyed his every word; she had no choice and he liked having that kind of power. "Good…I want you to go to Konohagakure," he said in his smooth tone. His voice alone could convince anyone weak to temptation to do as he wished, that's how he always broke his prey down; he would ensnared them with his charm and then watched as they struggled while he suffocated them. "I want you to infiltrate, join the academy and become a Kunoichi."

She inwardly questioned him but held her silence. She didn't even allow her facial expression to waver at his request; no one questioned her father.

"There is a boy there...he has the fox inside of him. He is too valuable of a tool to allow his existence to continue. Make sure you get rid of him."

"I won't fail you, father," the girl said in a confident tone as she nodded and then dipped her body into a lower bow. She stood up straight and tall, standing at her full height.

"Good…your true name is safe to use, so go Hikari Koizumi. Leave tonight and get to the gates of that village as fast as your feet will carry you," the man ordered in a tone she recognised as his commanding voice.

"Right away," Hikari said as she turned and slipped past the guards with relative ease; she did take after her father, after all.

…

"How to get into Konoha?" Hikari pondered as she sat on the bench in a village four kilometres from Konoha. She sipped on her tea that she had bought from a little shop and sighed as she looked up towards the puffy white clouds that sailed across the azure sky with the light breeze that gentle lifted her ink-colored bangs from her forehead. Her violet eyes gleamed in the sunlight as she watched the birds soar. "I have to cause some kind of catastrophe that would cause the survivors of this village to be taken to Konoha for refuge…I think that would be the only way to do it without being suspicious; they wouldn't even check for records."

"Excuse me?" a man asked in a stern tone. Hikari frowned, knowing that she would have to dispose of him; he had heard too much. Hikari turned her head to see a blond haired man with brown eyes and she sighed as she set her tea onto the ground.

"Yes?" Hikari asked in a bored tone. "Do you want something?"

"I just heard you! Don't act innocent!" the man said in a livid tone. "What Village are you from!?"

Hikari sighed and held her head cracking her neck and shoulders before looking back at him.

"It seems that I spoke my thoughts aloud again," she said as if she was not in a serious predicament. "I have a really terrible habit of saying what's on my mind, but enough with my flaws." She stood and then began to walk towards the man, her steps calm and intimidating.

Their eyes connected and like always she saw the fear flicker in his eyes as he recognised that he was going to die and there was nothing he could do to stop it. She saw him try to open his mouth to speak in a pitiful attempt to save his own life, but his fear prevented words or screams from sounding; she was used to that reaction too.

"You would have survived if you had left me alone, mister," she said in a hostile tone as she threw her hands into the sign of a tiger. She used a substitution jutsu by taking a statue of a cat-god, which had been placed beside the other bench behind him, and then put it in her former position; it was only natural that she found herself standing in the former position of the carved stone.

A kunai slid into her hand from within her kimono sleeve, allowing her to wrap her arms around him and then slit his throat. Blood spattered across her face, but she was careful to avoid the purple fabric of her summer kimono. Her eyes found an alley way and she sighed as she brought her hands into another sign.

She had always felt terrible after taking another human's life; the horror she saw in their eyes as she killed them often haunted her in her sleep. Hikari wasn't sure how long she would see this man's face for, but she wished it would be a quick passing.

"Stupid man, I won't let you ruin my mission…" Hikari wiped the Kunai on the inner portion of her dress. "I have to be more careful…that was reckless." Her eyes swept the street outside the alleyway and was glad that it was still vacant; she felt she must have been blessed that no one had been outside or around on such a nice day. She had heard whispers of some kind of festival in the main square. "I had better get out of here before someone sees the blood…"

…

Hikari looked around the town and then nodded; the coast was clear. No one was about; most people were enjoying a nice cup of steaming rice and some kind of toppings for dinner around the time she stood in the square. She looked towards the horizon, the sun was sunk low in the sky, casting orange, pink, red, and yellow hues in every direction; they soaked into the clouds, making them look like fluffy pieces of cotton-candy.

Hikari looked sharply to the east, towards one of the paper-bombs she had laid. She had been more careful, determined not to have such a casual slip-up as she had earlier with the man at the shop. She had made the bomb look like it was designed by a shinobi from Kirigakure and also took extra care to place them around the village, spread evenly so that no place was untouched, not even where she stood. Not being hit would be too suspicious, but she had made sure to make where she placed herself a place of weak-impact.

She knew a lot people would die in this explosion, but it was necessary, Hikari couldn't get soft-hearted now, she was already in too deep. As long as she didn't die herself, the mission would not be a failure. The lives lost would not be in vain.

Hikari gazed at the twilight sky and nodded; it was time. She looked around, to make sure no one was watching, and then preformed the necessary handsigns to make the explosion happen. From the far ends of the village, she saw bright orange sparks and then smoke. She heard the terror filled screams of the citizens too. Once the bombs closer to her area went off she was thrown into the fountain, which stood in the middle of the square, by the force of the explosions; she hadn't calculated that. Hikari gazed around from against the fountain, her head throbbing painfully. In the distance, as her eyes began to have trouble focusing, she could see some of the citizens escaping from the area of severe-impact and others who ran up to her.

"She's bleeding!" a woman said, concerned.

Hikari's eyes clouded over as her vision became even blurrier. Slowly, as if weighted, her eyes slid closed, but she knew it was worth it. This whole act of terrorism was worth it because she knew she would wake to the opportunity of going to Konohagakure and getting one step closer to the completion of her mission.

…

_"Hello?"_

The voice was distant to Hikari, like a whisper.

_"Are you alive?"_

Hikari strained to follow the voice's fleeting words.

_"I don't think this one's made it…"_

_"No! I'm alive!"_ Hikari thought desperately but she could not open her eyes, so instead she continued to strain her mind so that she could follow the voice. Soon enough, she came face to face with a bright light. She stepped back and then looked around, she was surrounded with such darkness that she couldn't even see her hand if she were to hold it in front of her eyes. With a nod and a gulp, she stepped through the light.

Hikari's eyelids fluttered open, revealing the vast pools of purple to the world.

"She's awake!"

She heard footsteps and her vision blurred in and out. A brown haired man with a scar on his nose stood over her.

"Are you ok?"

Hikari tried to nod.

"My head hurts…" she responded, her voice hoarse because of the scratchy dryness of her throat.

"I bet," the man said in a light hearted voice. "Do you know what happened here?"

Hikari took in a breath and nodded, trying to make her mind clear; she knew she had to lie at this part, but she was trying to force the lie that she should speak into her mind.

"I was standing in the square, looking at the sky. A loud noise caught my attention and I looked around to see bombs going off in every direction," Hikari started to cough and then gained some ability to speak afterwards. "I was flung back from the force. I must have hit my head."

The man nodded solemnly. "We'll take you, and the remaining survivors, back to the village where we are from and you can get a home there until this mess is sorted out…I'm afraid this village has been destroyed by enemy ninja from Kirigakure and it would be safer if the survivors get shelter in our village," the man said with a kind smile.

This was the part where she tried to look sad, like she had lost some friends and family.

"I bet a girl your age could even join the academy; how old are you?" he asked in an obvious attempt to try and get her mind off of the fact that her 'home' had been destroyed.

Hikari's eyes darted towards his and she made a split-second decision to lie.

"I'm thirteen, sir," she said in a saddened voice; she was quite the actor, able to appear to be sad about a village she didn't even belong to and lie about her age too. _"In reality I am sixteen, but he'll never figure that out,"_ she thought in a smug tone. _"I just look more developed for my age."_

"Would you like to enroll?" the man asked kindly. "I am the sensei of the school, my name is Iruka."

Hikari thought about the offer. It would help her mission; enroll in the academy, take note of the students, participate in the Chunin Exams and try to kill the boy her father pointed out. It was the perfect cover, 'he died during the fight'. Her father had told her to join the academy anyways, so she didn't feel she had much of a choice.

_"I can't be too hasty though,"_ she thought in a cautious tone. She then got an idea and looked up at the man called 'Iruka' with a confused look. "You want me to be a ninja, sir?"

Iruka smiled.

"Of course, you seem like you would be a very strong Kunoichi," he said in an encouraging tone. "You survived quite a bump to your head. You look young and athletic. We need girls like you in the Academy and people who can protect villages like this one from destruction."

Hikari smiled with joy in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Ok," she said as she frowned, "I don't want anyone to have to go through this…if I can help, I want to. You'll be my teacher, right?"

Iruka nodded, relieved that some of the children of the village were complying with the demands of his Hokage without complaint; if they were going to have an influx of citizens, they needed to train the children right away to protect them.

"Now where do you live, we should go see if your parent survived…" he said glumly.

Hikari frowned, she could tell him it was a house that was nothing but dust, but that would be suspicious. She decided on something simple.

"I'm an orphan," she said in a regretful tone as she averted her eyes to the ground. "I slept in a back alley; I was out for a stroll, looking for food, when this happened…" Iruka frowned. "My name's Hikari Koizumi, by the way."

"Come on," he said as he stuck out a hand and then helped her to her unsteady feet.

She started to stand, but then fell when a shock of pain went through her thigh. She looked down to see blood soaking her pants from a long and ugly gash she could see through the material. Her blood was bright against her alabaster skin, making her frown; she would not let her Kekki Genkai take over. She grunted with effort of trying to hold back her natural abilities and tried to put pressure on the wound.

"We need to get you to a hospital…" Iruka said in an anxious tone.

Hikari was starting to get her senses back and now was aware of the throbbing pain of the cut emanated and the warm feeling of sticky blood, but she could not let her concentration break; if the wound healed in front of Iruka, he'd be instantly suspicious.

"While you're being patched up, I'll find you a place to stay."

Hikari nodded and tried to show him thanks with her eyes. He bent down and lifted her into his arms and carried her towards the exit. They approached a guard at the village entrance with a bandage over his nose and very spiky black hair.

"Kotetsu-san," Iruka said in his friendly tone, "I am taking the girl to the village for medical treatment, make sure nothing happens while I am gone."

The man gave Iruka a serious look and then nodded.

"No problem, Iruka-san, just take good care of that girl, she looks exhausted," Kotetsu said.

Iruka nodded and tightened his grip on her.

Hikari thought about his statement, she was tired. She sighed and laid her head against Iruka's shoulder, closing her eyes. However, she could not allow herself to fall sleep. She just had to make it to the village and then to the hospital. She could not allow anything to compromise her mission, she would not redeem herself by failing _again_.


	2. Chapter II

Chapter II:

Hikari awoke and fluttered her eyes open. A blinding white light hit them and she squinted with discomfort until they adjusted.

"You're awake," someone observed.

Hikari looked to her side to see Iruka; the fear she felt was almost instant. She had fallen asleep and she had no idea if he saw her ability. It seemed as if her fate hung on a thread, but she knew she had to talk in case he didn't know.

"Oh, hi…" Hikari said with a small smile, faking her way. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Just since last night when I brought you here. They bandaged that leg of yours too," Iruka said with a smile as he put his hand behind his head.

An awkward silence filled the air and Hikari felt sweat build at the back of her neck as her hair stood up on its ends. Time seemed to slow and the tension seemed to build.

"They said it's doing well and that you're a speedy healer," he said with a carefree smile. "Maybe you have some Uzumaki blood in you."

"Uzumaki?" Hikari asked as she titled her head.

"Oh, I'll explain it when we go over the clans of the Land of Fire in class," he said as he shook his head. "I shouldn't stress you out with so much information when you're trying to rest and heal."

The relief was like a flood and she welcomed it; she had never felt more nervous in her life than she just had and hoped she would never have to feel that way again. Silence gathered around them again and Hikari twiddled her fingers, looking out the hospital window to try and pass the time. She was still trying to calm her wracked nerves and soaked in the quite.

Iruka cleared his throat, drawing her attention.

"I enrolled you in the academy and I found you someone to stay with."

"Really?" Hikari asked with a small smile, making herself seem a tad excited, as if bit of good news had perked her right up.

"Yeah, I told the Hokage your story and he grew worried about you. He has chosen and very trust worthy shinobi for you to stay with for your safety," Iruka said in an informative tone.

Hikari continued to smile but inside her thoughts started to stir as she felt panic claw at her stomach and lungs.

_"Staying with a ninja?"_ she thought in an annoyed tone. "Great, more lies to try and remember…" Despite feeling agitated and frustrated, Hikari made her smile brighten. "That's wonderful! What's their name?"

Iruka stood and walked to the door before turning back towards her slightly with a comforting smile.

"I'll go fetch him so he can introduce himself," he said with a friendly smile. "I have to go anyways, I have tests to grade and this whole situation of what happened to your village to sort out. I'll see you on Monday morning sharp." Iruka left the room and the door clicked when he slid it into its closed position.

Hikari sighed and leaned back against the bed. She let her thoughts flow into her mind, unrestrained, and evaluated the dangerous situation she was in.

_"They don't trust me,"_ she thought as she bit the tip of her thumbnail, _"it's got to be the only reason they'd bunk me with a ninja. They want to analyze me."_ She shook her head, trying to rid herself of her troubling thoughts and then fill her mind with her new identity. "I have to remember every detail of my story and not have any screw ups…these are highly skilled shinobi, they won't miss a beat if I mess up. I have to make sure that I am _not_ the one to mess this whole thing up. I'm an orphan with no experience as a kunoichi. I'll have to keep a low profile so they don't get suspicious…that means no over-the-top jutsu, not unless everyone in this village is somehow advanced."

She blew some of her bangs out of her face and pouted; maybe destroying the village to get in was not the best of ideas. If Hikari had waited longer, she felt she would have thought of something better.

_"I should have acted like I was attacked by enemy shinobi and then ran to the village, seeking refuge,"_ she thought as she bit her lip. _"This is getting complicated, but I'm doing it for father…"_ Hikari frowned as she closed her eyes and let her mind wonder again. _"I do anything he asks…but why? In reality, what am I even getting out of this?" _

_'You get to succeed your father…'_ a voice at the back of her mind reminded her.

Her eyes snapped opened when the sound of the door of her room sliding caught her ears. A tall man stood in the doorway; he had silver hair that stuck up and around his head and swerved to the left. He wore his forehead protector over his left eye and a mask covered the bottom half of his face, the top just reaching over his nose. He gave Hikari a nervous smile; she could see its shape clearly through the thin black fabric.

"You're Hikari right?"

Hikari felt a little intimidated too. He _looked_ strong and she knew that the vest he wore told her that he was at least a Chuunin in level. However, as she looked him over, she thought that his level might have been higher; he looked too old to be only a rank above Genin. There was something about his friendly and quite persona that unnerved her. It was like he was trying to act normal, but she knew better; she knew he was some kind of elite shinobi.

Hikari sighed and then nodded in response to his question, accepting that she was going to have a difficult time.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake, you're going to be staying with me," he said with a relieved smile. "I was afraid I had the wrong room, you were staring at me quite intensely there for a moment." Hikari gave him a soft and apologetic smile. "So, do you have a last name, Hikari?"

Hikari nodded, knowing her name was safe to use, but felt like frowning knowing that he was already prying her for intelligence.

"I'm Hikari Koizumi, sir," she said with confidence, trying to project the personality she imagined someone her age would have in such a grand village such as this.

"You're a Koizumi? Do you know who your mother was?" he asked curiously. The fact that he knew the Koizumi clan had matriarchal lineage was enough to shatter her nerves; he knew about the inner workings of her clan, he probably knew they were shinobi based, and therefore he most likely knew she had a Kekki Genkai too.

Hikari nodded and kept calm despite the fact that she felt the conversation with this shinobi was turning into a battle of who-will-crack-first.

"Her name was Ai," she said sadly even though she had lied; she couldn't risk that he somehow had known of her real mother. "She died long ago…"

Something flickered in Kakashi's eye but Hikari didn't know what, all she knew was that it made her feel so _nervous_ that she was beginning to feel sick.

"I see…"

Their conversation died and the room became silent. Hikari was utterly aware that she could feel her heart slamming against her ribcage and that her finger tips were numb. To try and calm herself, and appear indifferent, she turned and looked out the window like she had when her conversation with Iruka died.

"The nurses said you could leave whenever you'd like. Would you like to come see your new home?"

_"Not with you," _she thought, but despite wanting to frown she smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot…"

…

Hikari and Kakashi walked down the narrow dirt roads of Konoha. She admired the sights of the city and smiled with its quaint buildings and people. They passed a ramen shop where a boy with bright blond hair slurped soup up by the bowl full. Hikari smiled at his behaviour and then gazed to a different area. A raven-haired boy was sitting on a bench, looking at the sky thoughtfully. A girl with bubblegum-pink hair stood behind a tree, with a blond-haired girl accompanying her, watching the raven haired boy. Hikari rolled her eyes and looked in another direction. A group of three trained in a field, one throwing weapons, one fighting with his sensei and the other practicing Taijutsu on a stump. On top of the hill near the field, a boy lay on the grass and carelessly watched the sky, while another plump boy ate chips. A girl walked past Hikari; her eyes, a pale-lavender in color, were almost obstructed from Hikari's gaze by her violet hair. She struck Hikari as the overly-shy because her head was hung low and she twiddled her fingers. Hikari looked ahead of her and she saw a boy walking with dog talking with another brown-haired boy beside him.

"There are a lot of kids here," Hikari observed, as she looked around again, trying to seem as if she was comfortable with the Jounin next to her. Kakashi nodded.

"There are about fourteen kids here in the village your age," he said thoughtfully. "I think you won't have any issues becoming friends with any of them," he said with a smile, "well, except maybe one, but he's just anti-social because he's had a hard life. He's an orphan like you; perhaps he may warm up to you. You never know what could happen."

Hikari nodded with a small and genuine smile as he shrugged; she had never had the chance to have many friends, no other children lived around her. She had only grown up with one.

Kakashi took a sudden turn and then walked up some stone steps that led to a flat.

"This is it," he said as he unlocked and opened the door, gesturing for Hikari to walk inside before him.

Hikari walked into the flat, taking a cautious look around. Once she was satisfied, she walked over to the couch.

"May I sit?" she asked kindly. He smiled through his mask.

"It's your couch now too, you're aloud to sit wherever you like," Kakashi said in a friendly tone. Hikari nodded with a smile and seated herself, looking around the room. "I hear that Iruka enrolled you in the academy.".

"Yes, he asked if I wanted to…" Hikari said quietly as she stood and looked around the pictures he had on a shelf. "When I was a kid I always dreamed of coming here and being a ninja. I even practiced all the time with my grandmother. However, I wasn't sure if I wanted to, when he asked because death is something I've never been good at dealing with…" Hikari looked at a picture of a much younger Kakashi standing in-between two other kids and then a man standing behind them. "I wasn't sure I was cut out to be a Kunoichi, but then when I saw what destruction my small village has succumbed too, I knew I had to be able to protect people and myself."

"It's a brave though," Kakashi said as he walked up to Hikari and knelt in front of her. "I'm sure you'll do great and become a very fine Kunoichi…your goals seem honest."

Hikari smiled; that's what she wanted, to seem honest.

"Thank you, Kakashi-kun," she said as she put her hands behind her back. "That means a lot to me…"

"Come on, I'll show you your room and then tomorrow we'll go get some clothes for you," Kakashi said as he walked down the hall. Hikari followed him and watched as he opened a door. "This is your room, across the hall is the bathroom and down the hall is my room."

Hikari nodded and stepped into the room. She turned to face Kakashi with a smile.

"I'm going to get ready for bed…I'm still tired and it's dusk…"

Kakashi nodded and turned to leave.

"Being well rested is a good idea…"

"Goodnight," she said as she softly shut the door. Hikari turned and walked to the bed, laying down on it and stretching out. She looked out the window and sighed.

_"I'm starting to like being here…"_ she thought with a smile. _"Maybe this mission isn't so terrible after all…I just have to be super careful of where I step…if I can keep dodging Kakashi's suspicions, I will be fine. Eventually, maybe I can even form a relationship where he is willing to protect me. Gaining a few allies is not a bad idea." _

…

Kakashi and Hikari walked side by side through the roads of the village.

"I don't know much about how girls like to dress, but nothing too…alluring," Kakashi said, carefully choosing his words.

Hikari's face scrunched at the thought.

"Believe me, I'm not stupid; I know that I need to buy clothes that will protect me, not offer Kunai to plunge into sensitive flesh," Hikari said in a disproving voice, however her voice gave away the fact that she was slightly distracted. Kakashi looked at her questioningly. Hikari was watching the road, fixated on the people around her.

_"It's like she's never been around this many people,"_ Kakashi thought suspiciously, "and yet she lived on the street in a fairly big village? Something's not adding up…" Kakashi cast his thoughts away. _"I am being over suspicious, I guess being a Shinobi gets to you after awhile…but then again, something's off about her."_

As they walked, the encountered many of the children who would be re-entering the academy; summer break would be over on Monday and they were trying to make the best of their weekend. Kakashi watched as Hikari gazed at them longingly, almost as if she was envious. She seemed as if she had never had a life where she could run along the streets in a carefree spirit or spend time with kids her own age. Despite her years, she already had the senses of a kunoichi, that much, Kakashi knew.


	3. Chapter III

_**Chapter III:**_

Hikari walked out of her and Kakashi's apartment and took a long inhale of clean air. She closed her eyes and soaked in the morning. A sigh escaped her lips as she began to walk again, making her way to the academy.

_"The Konoha Academy has a six month program, but if you show exceptional skills a person could take the test that the children from the last year will be taking after ten weeks,"_ Hikari thought. _"I'm determined to make that deadline…after all, being at my level, it should be a cinch."_ She cynically smiled as she continued to walk down the road towards the Academy. However, as she went her smile fell. _"But exceeding too quickly when I have never had any ninja training to their knowledge would be a bad idea; some of these kids have been in this school for years…"_ Hikari bit her lip and averted her eyes to the dirt road. _"It seems like I may have to advance my schooling at the academy slower than I had anticipated because of all this nonsense; I just need to make sure I graduate at the same time as the fox-boy, if I do that, everything will be fine." _

…

"Hikari," Iruka said happily when she entered the room, "I'm glad you came."

Hikari put on an eager smile for him.

"It's a pleasure, Iruka-sensei," Hikari said politely.

"All right, I'll introduce you to the class and then assign you a seat," Iruka said in a formal voice; Hikari suspected he was trying to sound like a Sensei, as if there was such a sound. She wondered if he often had trouble with his class. He cleared his throat and then started to speak. "Alright class, settle down."

The preteens in the room turned towards Iruka and then caught sight of Hikari standing next to him. They watched her with questioning stares.

"This is a new student from a different village in the country, treat her as you'd want to be treated," Iruka scolded. He nodded and then looked at Hikari. "This is your new classmate, Hikari Koizumi."

Hikari gave a polite smile to the crowd to try and seem pleasant, if she wasn't nasty and rude, she wouldn't attract too much attention.

"Now before I assign her a seat," Iruka said as he closed his eyes and balled his fists, "I request that all the girls piling around the only open one to GET BACK TO YOUR OWN SEATS!"

Iruka's sudden flare in temper made Hikari look at him with a furrowed brow; she hadn't taken him as the type to raise his voice, never mind full-out loose his composure and yell. Iruka cleared his throat as the girls scurried to their seats.

"Now Hikari, please go seat yourself beside Sasuke and well, I guess Sasuke doesn't need to raise his hand."

Iruka was right, Hikari didn't have to look at the boy to know where her seat was; the other girls had told her enough by feuding over the seat next to him loudly. Hikari placed her books on the desk and then gracefully sat down, not giving a wink of her attention to the boy named Sasuke. Instead she was fixated on the lesson at hand, the transformation jutsu; she had to act that she was utterly engaged in the lessons if she was going to pull-off her quick learning.

...

Sasuke passed a glance for the girl who sat down next to him and was surprised to see that she actually cared about becoming a ninja and not getting boyfriend, unlike almost every other girl in his year. Her aubergine eyes had an intensity in their colour; they were so dark, but luminous at the same time. Her inky hair caressed her cheeks and fell in cascades over her shoulders and down her back until it reached her waist. Her alabaster skin was untouched by blemishes and the pale rosy color of her lips contrasted with the colour, as did everything else about her. She wore a low-cut baggy pirate-styled white shirt and a crimson corset-like vest over it. A red skirt hung around her thighs and she wore tight black capris that stretched down to her knees that had a small amount of black flower-designed lace attached to the bottom of them. Dark purple ninja sandals covered her feet and a grey kunai holder was attached to her right thigh.

To Sasuke it looked like she could care less about him, something he was completely unused to. He suspected that she only caught his attention because she was so uninterested in the fact that he sat beside her.

Sasuke shook his head.

_"Why am I wasting my time studying her?"_ he asked himself as he focused on the window and watched the events that passed outside. _"She'll be nothing in a few days…she'll be like all the rest of them; desperate and pathetic."_

…

Hikari walked outside with her lunch, spotting a lone swing.

"Perfect," she muttered to herself as she strolled towards it. As she gained distance, a blond boy suddenly walking past her and took the swing, making her frown. "I was going to sit there," she voiced in a curt tone.

His sapphire orbs locked with hers but then settled on the ground again. Hikari felt guilty for her initial rudeness because she could see some kind of pain and loneliness in his eyes. She recalled that no one had sat next to him in class either. She decided to approach the boy, if he was desperate for a friend he'd give her intelligence she might find useful.

"May I join you?"

He lifted his eyes to hers, surprise showing in how wide he opened them.

"Uh…Yeah," he said as she scooted over and allowed her to sit. Hikari gave him a sweet smile after she sat, trying to butter him up but not be too obvious about it. She reached into her lunch bag and retrieved her sandwich, nibbling on it as she looked around the yard. The school ground of the Konoha academy was honestly quite pretty to her; it was bright, had a lot of foliage around, and looked more like a park with the benches and the small pond in place.

"So your name is Hikari, right?" the boy asked curiously.

Hikari nodded.

"Are yours is?" she asked him with a raised brow.

A beam spread across his lips.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I am going to be Hokage someday! Believe it!" he said enthusiastically and very loudly. Hikari cringed slightly from his outburst.

"Uh…that's nice…" she said, unsure of how to react to him. "Just take it down a notch, ok?"

Naruto looked at her with a questioning glance.

"Your volume…I'm right next to you…" Hikari said with a laugh. "You don't have to shout."

Naruto's cheeks flushed as he said, "Sorry…" Hikari him a small smile.

"It's ok, just try to remember," she said kindly. Hikari brought her sandwich to her lips once again, and started to eat.

Naruto pulled a cup of ramen from his pocket and then a thermos. Hikari watched him curiously as he poured the hot water into the noodle cup and then let it sit.

"Why go through the effort of bringing hot water?" Hikari asked. "Why not just bring something else?"

"Ramen is my favourite food," Naruto said grinning. Hikari glanced for her sandwich and then threw it behind her and into the bushes.

"Well, I can't carry salmon and rice everywhere with me…" she said with a smile. "On the contrary, I hate sandwiches."

Naruto let out a laugh."Would you like some of my ramen?" he asked, thrusting the cup towards her."You would share your lunch with someone you just met?" Hikari asked with a smile. Naruto laughed and reached over to his other pocket.

"I have another," he said with a goofy grin.

"Ah, how boy-like of you," Hikari said in a teasing tone. Naruto smiled. "Thank you, for the ramen, Uzumaki-san."

…

"Ok, class, because of Naruto, we are going to have a pop quiz on the transformation jutsu," Iruka said in an aggravated tone.

Hikari rolled her eyes out of boredom.

"After six weeks of non-stop transformation jutsu, this is getting pretty old…" Hikari muttered.

"Tell me about it…" Sasuke said coolly as he stood; his actions surprised Hikari because Sasuke barley ever muttered a couple of words towards the normal people in this class, forget Hikari, who he never even looked towards.

When Hikari thought of Sasuke, she thought of how she disliked him. However, Sasuke was not the only one she wasn't fond of; out of all the kids in the academy, Hikari only liked a few people. She liked Naruto, when he wasn't being annoying, Shikamaru, a boy named Sora and his brother named Hoshi.

Sora and Hoshi sat in front of Hikari and Sasuke, and they barley ever spoke to others, but were both chatty and lively when they were alone with Hikari. She felt like they were probably the best friends she had gained in the village.

Hikari walked towards the line and sighed; this was the third time this week.

"Uzumaki," she groaned. "You really have to learn how to control yourself…" Naruto laughed.

"I can do this! Believe it!" Hikari sighed and nodded.

"Whatever, just please stop making Iruka give us pop-quizzes…we could be learning something we don't know as opposed to something _you_ don't know."

…

It was no surprise to Hikari that her transformation was flawless and Naruto failed again.

"I thought for sure I had got the hang of it," Naruto said with his lips shaped into a pout.

"Don't worry," Hikari tried to say in an encouraging voice. "You'll get it."

A snort interrupted their conversation.

"Hell would freeze over first," Sasuke said as he walked pasted them. "That half-wit can't do anything right."

Hikari pouted at Sasuke's attitude.

"You know, a jerk like you is never going to get a girlfriend," Hikari sneered, "but then again, I've heard that's not a concern of yours…I hear nowadays that you're more of a curved line."

Hikari smirked triumphantly and Naruto howled with laughter.

"Way to go Hikari!" Naruto said as he punched his fist into the air.

"Hn." was the dismissive noise that escaped Sasuke's lips as he turned on his way to go home, but not before saying something under his breath. Hikari watched until he was gone.

"I hate him so much…" she hissed. Naruto nodded.

"He's a real jerk…"

"I have to agree." Hikari turned her head towards the source of the new interruption.

"Sora-san! Hoshi-san!" Hikari said happily. She looked toward Naruto and gave him a parting wave. "I should go with them, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Uzumaki-san!"

"Bye Hikari!"

…

Hikari groaned as she watched, but not paid attention to, Iruka who was teaching his fifty-fourth lesson on the transformation jutsu; this time on turning into the opposite gender and not touching the different parts, courtesy of Naruto.

"This is so redundant," she groaned as she dragged her hands down her face and then let her head fall to the desks surface.

"No kidding," Sora said as he looked at her. She looked up with a smile as watched his inky hair fall from his forehead when he ran his hands through it and the way the light shined into his baby-blue eyes.

Hoshi looked up at Hikari with a smirk as he pushed his raven hair aside to reveal his amber eyes.

"I need a haircut," he said with a frown. "It's getting in my eyes all the time."

Hikari let out a laugh as she looked down at Iruka.

"For your quiz you should transform into yourself with shorter hair, now this conversation will be relevant to the lesson and he can't say a damn thing against it." Sora smirked as he looked back at the lesson and then Hoshi gave her one last smile before turning back as well.

After a moment of silence Hikari looked to her side to see Sasuke staring at her.

"What?" she asked in a defensive tone. He smirked and then turned away from her, looking out the window. "What?"

"Nothing," he said quietly.

"Seriously, what?" she asked in a frustrated tone, getting tired of him dodging her questions.

"Nothing. It just seems like you're comfortable with them."

"You're insinuating something aren't you?" she asked darkly. He didn't look at her, but she could see the smirk on his lips. "Well if that's the case, you're just jealous because Hoshi doesn't want you like you want him," Hikari said with a smirk as she turned away from him. "Two can play at that game, right Uchiha-kun?"

She heard him growl quietly.

"I'm not gay," he said with a glare. "Just shut up, stupid girl."

"You wouldn't be so offended if you were comfortable with your own sexuality," Hikari said with a snide smile. She lucked out before Sasuke could retort, because the bell rang and she was able to go home.

"Ok class, remember that tomorrow we are going to have the class graduation test, be prepared for the clone jutsu!" Hikari sighed.

"Tomorrow we're going to be separated into teams," she said to herself as she gathered her things.

"Surprisingly, I would rather be in a team with someone annoying, like you, than someone who tries to physically assault me, like Sakura…" Sasuke muttered in reply, making a laugh escape her lips. She turned to him with a small smile.

"You know Uchiha, you're not terrible when you want to be nice."

He frowned as he watched her turn on heel and the hop down the steps until she had caught up to Hoshi and Sora, preparing to walk home with them. She wasn't supposed to say things like that to him, he liked her better when she was spirited and rude; despite not wanting to admit it, he enjoyed arguing with Hikari.


	4. Chapter IV

_**Chapter IV:**_

"Good morning Kakashi," Hikari said with a smile as she walked into the kitchen. Kakashi looked up from his table and the newspaper.

"Good morning. Today is your testing day if I am not mistaken, is it not?" Hikari nodded as she gave him a small smile.

"I think I shouldn't have any issues," she said. "It's just too bad I couldn't make that ten week mark."

Kakashi smiled through his mask at her.

"Think of it this way; even though Iruka didn't think you were ready for the test after ten weeks, you still get to take it today and you will pass, and now you just have more experience under your belt," he said in an encouraging tone. Hikari scoffed.

"Yeah, lots of experience in the transformation jutsu. That's like the only jutsu we practice; thank you Naruto." Kakashi smirked and then Hikari let out a joyful laugh. After a few moments she dropped her eyes to the floor when the room became silent. "Just promise me something?" she asked as she lifted her eyes to look into his uncovered one, "Even if I don't get separated into your team, promise me you will still want to be around me and even practice with me. Promise you won't lose interest in me once you get a team…"

Kakashi's lips picked up into a smile as he stood and then ruffled Hikari's hair.

"Hikari you will always be important," he said in a light hearted voice. "I know you have only been here for six months, but I don't mind keeping an eye on your." Kakashi brushed the bangs away from her face. "Even if you're not in my team, I will always be here for help and questions, and hey, we can always train after missions; we have the rest of the day off afterwards." Hikari smiled with a nod.

"Thank you, Kakashi-kun." He nodded as he watched her turn around, run into the hallway and then through the door of her bedroom to get dressed for the day.

…

_"I think I've gained his trust and cooled his suspicions…I just need to relax though,"_ Hikari thought to herself as she slipped into her daily clothes._ "If I can keep this up, soon he won't even suspect me, he might even be willing to defend me. He's not so bad once you get pass his suspicious nature. I'm worried about why they made me stay with a shinobi; they must be suspicious of me…if that's the case, I can figure he's been given a mission to watch me closely and make sure I'm not dangerous. I need to make sure that everything that would confirm any suspicions of my identity is hidden well." _

Hikari locked the door to her room and then opened her closet. She removed her bag and then took out a very tiny paper scroll, big enough to fit in a small pouch that she'd wear as a necklace. She laid it on the floor and drew symbols on it before she placed every item that needed to be hidden on it; her identification card, headband, and mission reports. She did many handsigns and then the things disappeared and the word for 'hidden' or 'concealed' appeared on the scroll in the space she had left for it. She rolled up the scroll and put it inside a small pouch that was connected to two long ties. She made it into a makeshift necklace and allowed the long string it hang down and hide the pouch under the cloth of her shirt and between her breasts.

_"No one's going to look there," she thought with a smug smile._

She sighed as she walked to the window of her room and then leaned onto the frame as she gazed at the sunrise outside. The city's roof tops glowed orange from the cascading light of the sun and brilliant shadows cast onto the ground behind them. She frowned she was forced to think about how she could not stay in the beautiful village forever.

_"I'll only be here for a few more months,"_ she thought as she gazed longingly at the village hidden among the leaves, _"but a small part of me just wants to stay here so badly…it's so beautiful and peaceful. It's so different than what I am used to, cold, dark and segregated. I feel torn in half…half of me feels eager to do anything to stay and never return to father, and the other half can't wait to leave."_ She looked out towards the sun, watching the puffy clouds roll as they twirled and contorted into familiar shapes. _"However, I could be a real person here, I could have a life…I don't have that back home. I am a soldier there, nothing more."_ She drew in a deep breath and then sighed. "I have to go graduate the academy…"

Hikari bent down and then slipped her ninja sandals over her feet. She picked up her school bag and then walked out of her room and out of the flat traveling towards the academy.

…

_"I've gained her trust,"_ Kakashi thought as he stood in the living room and watched Hikari shut the door as she left. _"The more time I spend with her, the more innocent she seems to be, but there has always been something off about her…she's too cautious for her own good, too alert." _

Kakashi walked towards the hallway and then entered her room. As a first glance, it seemed like the room of a normal teenaged girl's room, but he was sure if he looked around he'd find something that proved his suspicions. His mission was to investigate this girl thoroughly before clearing her innocence to the Hokage and he was not going to let anything go unchecked; there was just something he didn't trust about her.

He walked further into the room and then shut the door.

_"I just need to keep up this façade…if she thinks I am not suspicious of her, she will slip up; she's just a child." _

…

Hikari slipped into her academy class room with ease because most of the class was crowding around the other end of the room, as usual, Sasuke was the center of attention.

_"At least we got that exam done before the weekend…"_ she thought looking around at her fellow Ninja. _"So these are the other's who graduated…"_ Her eyes fell onto Naruto and they widened. "Hey, Naruto! You passed!?"

Naruto turned around and smiled a toothy grin.

"Believe it!" Hikari rolled her eyes at his 'catch phrase', but on the inside she was happy for him; in all honesty, she didn't think he would pass. Hikari looked to sit in her normal seat, but saw there were too many people crowding, so she walked down the stairs and sat next to Sora.

"Hey Hikari," he said with a smile. She bit her lip and smiled at him, trying not to blush. She didn't know why she was reacting this way to him, but she couldn't help but love the fluttering sensation she always got when he smiled at her.

_"Come on Koizumi, crushing on a boy is not your mission. You need to figure out who the fox boy is!"_ she yelled at herself mentally

"Hi," she said with her own small smile. She leaned over the table to glance at Sora's brother, Hoshi. "Hello to you too."

He nodded and then closed his amber eyes and relaxed against his chair. Hikari took notice to the fact that he had cut his hair, like he had promised. He trimmed his raven hair so it didn't hang in his eyes and now, because of the weight taken off of, it waved off of his head in small spikes.

"I like your hair."

"Thanks," he said as he nodded again.

Hikari turned her head when the loud buzz of fan girls started to aggravate her; they were interrupting her time to see her friends and they were giving her the starting throbs of a headache.

_"What's going on back there!?"_ she asked herself as she turned around about to yell at the stupid girls piling around Sasuke. She shut her mouth and was taken aback when she saw Naruto squatting on Sasuke's desk, looking him directly in the eye. _"Uh?" _The kid in front of the desk leaned back in his chair and then smacked Naruto, making him fly forwards and plant his lips right into Sasuke's. Hikari's mouth hung agape, but then she couldn't hold it in; she started to howl with laughter.

"I never actually thought I'd have proof that you were gay!" she said aloud as she pointed to Sasuke. "Oh sweet, sweet blackmail!" she said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a camera, which she was glad she had put in her school bag for her love of photography, and took a snap-shot of the two 'lovers'.

Hikari turned around to see Sora's hand held in the air. She laughed and gave him a high-five, and then put her camera in her bag again as Sasuke and Naruto started to cough and hold their throats as if they were choking. Hikari smiled as she looked down at her bag.

_"Oh sweet camera of mine, I am so glad I bring you everywhere."_

…

"As of today, you are all Ninja," Iruka said with a smile as he looked up at the class. "To get here you have all faced difficult trials and hardships, but that was nothing; what comes next will be far more difficult."

_"It sure will if it continues at this pace,"_ Hikari thought sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"Now you're only Genin, fist level ninjas; all the Genin will be grouped into three man squads, each squad will be led by a Jonin, an elite ninja," Iruka said informatively.

Hikari looked towards Sora and then crossed her fingers and moved her hand out of sight. She suddenly felt like she should turn around, as if someone behind her was watching her. She shifted as if looking towards the window and then glanced behind her. Sasuke's eyes were glued to her figure, watching her intensely. She shivered and looked away from him, back to the front of the room, but she could still feel his eyes boring wholes into her skull; she figured he'd be pissed at her for taking that picture. He was probably trying to figure out a way to steal her camera.

From behind her she heard Ino pipe up.

"Well, someone's got to be in Sasuke's group, I wonder who?" Ino asked in general. Next she heard Sakura's voice and immediately rolled her eyes.

"Terrible, aren't they?" Sora whispered in Hikari's ear. She smirked and nodded as she glanced for him.

"They never stop arguing," she mouthed, "over some emo-wannabe loner."

Sora smiled with a nod.

"Well, you'll always have me to rant to, so I suppose that's better than what most have," he whispered back. Hikari smiled again as she glanced down at her hands. Her eyes wandered to Sora's and she saw the metal thumb ring he was wearing and then the black leather bracelet, he wore on the same hand, that had a metal plate with the leaf village symbol carved into it. She smiled as she looked down at her own headband and saw it strapped to the material of her leggings.

"We want the squads to have a balance of strength and abilities, so that's how we set them up," Iruka said as he brought a piece of paper in front of his eyes, "I will now announce the squads."

Hikari decided to stop listening until she heard either her name, Sora or Hoshi's. She tapped her finger and then sighed as she looked around.

"Squad six: Hikari Koizumi," Hikari's eyes lifted to Iruka's in anticipation, "Sora Hayate, and Hoshi Hayate." Hikari smiled as she looked towards her group. Sora held both of his hands up, one on each side, for both Hikari and his brother to high-five. Hikari returned the gesture and then turned around to face the front with a smile on her face.

_"I wonder who the weakling in our group is," Hikari thought as she bit her lip. "Hoshi's smart and good with telekinetic jutsu and Taijutsu. Sora uses Genjutsu and I use Ninjutsu. I suck at Taijutsu and Sora can hold his own…but my Ninjutsu is almost flawless. If I am labeled as the weak one, I will be angry."_

"Squad seven: Naruto Uzumaki," Hikari looked towards Naruto with a smile and then mouthed 'good luck', "Sakura Haruno," Naruto stood up with both of his hands in the air.

"Yeah!"

Sakura held her head towards the ground in response.

"I'm doomed…"

"And Sasuke Uchiha," Iruka finished.

This time Sakura's head threw up and then she stood up with her hands in the air.

"Ahhh!"

In return, Naruto held his head down.

"I'm doomed…"

Hikari let a small giggled escape from her lips from Naruto's sudden mood swing.

_"That team pairing is obvious; Sakura is a Genjutsu-type smarty-pants, Sasuke is a Ninjutsu and Taijutsu genius and Naruto is just a clown with some Ninjutsu skills. Sasuke is there to strengthen Sakura and Naruto strength wise and Sakura is there to help those two idiots with common sense and to cool any fights and rivalries that may occur."_

"Next, squad eight."

Hikari started to ignore the sensei again and decided it would be more interesting to stare at one of the nails in the floor boards and let her mind wander. Hikari was torn from her thoughts when she heard Ino let out a loud growl.

"I don't get it," Shikamaru said as he sighed. "What do you see in a guy like that? He's not so special."

"You're so beyond clueless, Shikamaru," Ino said in her usual snarky tone. "Don't you get it?"

"No, I don't get it because I'm not a girl…" Shikamaru said impatiently.

Hikari turned around and then smiled.

"Don't worry, Shikamaru, I don't get it and I _am_ a girl. She and every other girl in this class are just insane, don't listen to anything they say."

Shikamaru let a small smirk take his features.

"Finally, a girl who is intelligent other than Hinata…" Ino sighed as she rolled her eyes and returned to her conversation with Shikamaru and Hinata blushed a million shades of red when her name was mentioned.

"You're so full of yourself," Ino said as she gained a cocky smirk, "jealousy is a terrible thing, I'd hate to be the one on your squad."

"Now squad ten," Iruka called, "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara."

"Ah!" Ino exclaimed while Shikamaru let out a snort.

"Did you say something about hating to be on my squad?" Shikamaru asked in a cocky tone.

"I think she did," Hikari piped up, while Sora let out a chuckle.

"That was good," Sora said looking at Shikamaru.

"And Chouji Akamichi." Hikari smirked to herself.

"Ino had that coming…"

"Iruka sensei!?" Naruto demanded while he stood and pointed to Sasuke. "Why does a great ninja, like me, have to be in the same group as a slug, like Sasuke!?"

"Sasuke has the best scores of all the graduating students," Iruka said as he closed his eyes to explain, "you Naruto, had the worst scores." Laughter erupted throughout the room and Hikari even tried to keep a giggle to herself. "To create a balanced group, he put the best student, with the worst student."

_"Where does that leave, Sakura?"_ Hikari thought. "Nothing special? He should have clarified that Sakura is there to make sure Naruto doesn't do anything stupid."

Naruto let out a growl of frustration.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser," Sasuke said quietly.

"Hey, what did you say!?" Naruto demanded.

"Hard of hearing?" Sasuke asked in return.

The class started to laugh again and Hikari started to feel bad for Naruto; what Sasuke said wasn't even that funny. They were all just laughing because he was popular.

"Hey knock it off, Naruto!" Sakura demanded. "Sit down!"

Iruka cleared his throat.

"After lunch you'll meet your new Jonin teachers, until then class dismissed," Iruka looked towards Hikari's group. "Your sensei is away on a mission, so you may go home and come back tomorrow, except Hikari." Hikari looked up at Iruka curiously. "Your caretaker wants you to stay here until he arrives."

"Ok," Hikari said with a smile. She turned to Sora and Hoshi, "Well, bye."

They nodded and then stood.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Hoshi said with a nod.

Hikari turned to Sora with a smirk.

"I bet you ten bucks our sensei is a girl." Sora smirked.

"You're on," he said enthusiastically as he walked down the rows of desks, "See you tomorrow, Hikari."


	5. Chapter V

_**Chapter V: **_

Hikari sat on the swing outside of the Academy, eating her lunch with a small smile. She picked at the salmon and rice, which Kakashi had bought for her because she passed her exam, along with the other things in her lunch box that she had packed herself. _"Kakashi and I are getting along pretty well and every day he seems more comfortable with me around…" _Hikari sighed as she looked up at the sky. _"I am glad I have someone around who I can kind of depend on and maybe even look up to here. Not to mention that I can do what I want here; I can train when I want, relax, or just be stupid and goofy…there is no one here trying to control my every move. Father never let me feel this free, I just wonder how long it's going to last…" _Hikari bit her lip and then closed her eyes. _"I guess it's true when people say the grass is always greener on the other side; this place seems so much better than home. I need to stop comparing them though because if they are onto me, that's what they want me to do. They want me to crack, turn on my home village and then give them the secrets I hold." _

Hikari looked towards her feet, watching the dust kick up when her shoes lightly brushed the ground. She was ripped from her thoughts when a pair of legs wearing white shorts stepped into her line of sight. She looked up curiously, but then scowled when she saw Sasuke.

"What do you want, baka?"

"Have you, uh, seen Sakura?" he asked in a semi-nervous voice.

Hikari raised her brow at him.

"Have you come down with something?" she asked as if he was sick. "Since when do you go looking for Sakura, and since when do you display any emotion in your words?"

Sasuke looked back and forth to make sure no one was watching.

"Do you think Sakura will notice it's not him?" he asked quietly.

Hikari scrunched her brow.

"I'm not about to answer your questions when you could be some crook," Hikari hissed. "As much as I dislike Sakura the pack of fan girls she hangs out with, I'm not about to let you harm her. She is a fellow ninja of Konoha."

Sasuke smiled.

"It's me," he said as a poof of smoke suddenly filled the area, "Naruto!"

Hikari sighed.

"Now I am really not going to tell you where she is," Hikari said dully. "You're just going to make her hate you…" Hikari's mind reeled while Naruto started to beg. _"Where could the real Sasuke be? There is no way Naruto could just wander around transformed as him while Sasuke is wondering about. Naruto must have him locked him up somewhere and I guess I have to help him now because I discovered this…" _Hikari looked up at Naruto with a bright smile. "She's over on the bench that sits off of the road leaving the academy," Hikari informed, "eating her lunch, have fun."

Naruto smiled and then turned back into Sasuke.

"Thank you, Hikari!" Hikari nodded and shooed him away. Once he was out of sight she started to pack up her lunch and then sling her pack over her shoulder. She hopped off of the swing and then started to run towards the building Sasuke normally ate in. She rushed inside and then into the room to see him tied up on the floor. He looked up at her with wide eyes and she smiled triumphantly.

"I would love to cause drama," she said in a teasing tone, "and keep you here, torturing you by letting fan girls pay me to be in this room alone with you for ten minutes each, but you know, there is bigger things at work here and I can't just let Naruto make Sakura stalk after you more than she does," Hikari said with reasoning. "Even I'm not that cruel." She brought her hands together. "Release!"

The binds around him vanished and he pulled the tape from his mouth.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "I was just about to use the Escape Jutsu when you came in, so your plans wouldn't have worked."

Hikari knew he wasn't going to say anything else, he just wasn't that type.

"It's no issue," she said with a small smile. "But I need a favour in return."

Sasuke looked over at her quizzically. She ushered him forwards and then pushed her stuff into his hands.

"Hold that." He didn't drop her stuff, which pleased her, but he didn't stop looking at her curiously either.

She reached down to her Kunai holder and then pulled one from within it and spun it around until it faced the correct way. She grabbed onto all of her hair at once and then with one quick swipe, she cut the ponytail she was holding away from her head. She pocketed the hair in her ninja pouch, planning to dispose of it later.

"Does it look bad?" Sasuke shook his head slowly. "What?" she asked defensively. "How am I supposed to fight properly when my hair was that long? I could have got killed if someone were to grab it; I happen to take being a ninja seriously."

A small smirk tugged at his lips.

"I guess Shikamaru was right after all," Sasuke said quietly. "You're intelligent, Hikari."

Hikari looked at him like he was out of his mind.

"Uh, thank you?" she asked sceptically. He didn't answer and she narrowed her eyes. "Where is the sarcastic comment, or the rude comeback? Come on?"

"None of the other girls in our year would have cut their hair, or even thought of the risk of having long hair…unless I said I like short hair; then they would have cut it..."

"I promised myself I would when I graduated," Hikari said quietly. "As a sign to show I put my responsibilities above my looks." Hikari looked up at Sasuke with a small smile. "Well you proved to me it's possible to have a decent conversation with you," Hikari said in her signature teasing tone. She stood silent for a moment and then decided to speak her mind. "Thank you," he looked up at her. "For not being so egotistical when I helped you. I know you could have got out on your own, but I figured if I helped out the task would get done quicker; teamwork and everything." Sasuke nodded. "Well I better get going; I have the rest of lunch to finish eating. Make sure you give Naruto a real good smack upside the head." Sasuke smirked as Hikari turned around and jumped out of the window and then hopped onto the ground and started to walk back to where she normally ate.

…

Hikari strolled along the road carelessly and then sighed when she saw Sakura sitting alone and frowning towards the ground. She walked over to Sakura and then sat next to her.

"Hi," Hikari said lightly. _"Why do I have to want to make her feel better? For Christ's sake, why am I so generous with my time!?"_ Sakura looked up at her with a sad smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought you hate me."

"I hate your attitude," Hikari said honestly, "not you. I think you're a sweet girl on the inside, but I think you're horribly misguided about Naruto. He doesn't talk to you to undermine your feelings; he talks to you because he wants to be your friend, Sakura." Hikari sighed. "Besides, I wouldn't worry about Sasuke; if he does like you, which I doubt because I actually think he is a narcissist, he will come around. Stop putting yourself out there, you're just making yourself look desperate." Hikari looked towards the sky. "I know it's not really my place to even talk to you about this, but you looked lonely, so I thought I would come say hello."

Sakura looked up at Hikari with a small smile.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Don't copy Ino so much," Hikari said as she smiled at Sakura in return. "I know you're friends and everything, but try to be yourself every once in a while."

"I like your hair, by the way."

Hikari subconsciously reached up and lightly touched the tresses.

"Thanks, I promised myself I would cut it if I passed the exam. Setting up small goals and rewards helps me through life, it gives me a small hope when everything else seems like it's going to turn for the worst." Hikari smiled again. "Well, I should get going. Try not to let Ino bug you too much."

Hikari stood and started to walk away from Sakura, proud of herself that she actually pushed aside her feelings to do what she thought was right.

_"Today's been a good day,"_ she thought in a cheery tone.

…

"He's late," Naruto said with a frown. Hikari rolled her eyes and Sakura huffed.

"Trust me," Hikari said. "I'm used to this…he was late the day he was supposed to meet me in the hospital."

"Why _are_ you here?" Sasuke asked as he looked up at her. Hikari sat on the same desk he was sitting behind with her legs crossed and hanging over the side.

"Well it seems like your sensei happens to be my caretaker," Hikari said as she looked at her nails. "He asked me to stay here until he got here so I could just go home at the same time. I suspect he thinks if he were to leave me alone, I would throw a rave that would end with his house missing a wall…" Hikari laughed to herself, "or something along those lines."

"Naruto! Just sit down," Sakura said in a nagging tone.

"I don't want to!" Naruto said as he looked over his shoulder at her from the door of the classroom. "How come our sensei is the only one that's late? I'm ready to roll! Believe it!"

"Would you please stop saying that?" Hikari asked as she rolled her eyes. "It was cute the first couple of times, now after the ten-billionth, it's just irritating…"

"I agree," Sasuke said quietly from behind his hands that were folded in front of his mouth; both of his elbows rested on the desk, "that it's irritating."

"The other groups already met their sensei and took off on some group adventure or something and even Iruka-sensei is gone too!" Naruto complained.

"We know, ok?" Sakura asked as she sighed.

Hikari's attention was directed at Naruto when she started to hear clanging. When she looked at him, he was putting a chalk board eraser in the top of the door; between the door and the frame so it would fall on the person's head when they walked through.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto, I know this guy personally, I've been living with him for six months," Hikari said with a sigh, "he's not going to be happy."

Naruto giggled to himself.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

"That's what he gets for coming in late," Naruto said triumphantly. "Surprise!"

"You're asking for trouble, you know you shouldn't do that," Sakura scolded as she planted her hands on her hips.

"Hn…Our teacher's a Jounin, an elite ninja; you think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke asked as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, Sasuke's right," Sakura agreed. "You're so clueless, Naruto!"

Hikari sighed.

_"I'm not getting down, if I go over there, it will fall on me…I have black hair and Kakashi has white. It can fall on his head…" _

Hikari perked up when she heard someone step outside of the door. Kakashi slid it open and the chalkboard eraser fell on his head. Naruto began to laugh while he pointed.

"I got him, and he totally fell for it!"

"I'm sorry Sensei," Sakura said while blushing. "I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen. I would never do something like that…"

The group was silent while Kakashi picked up the eraser and then spoke.

"Hmmm…how can I put this? My first impression of this group is that," Kakashi said as he looked at everyone, "you're a bunch of idiots."

"Hey!" Hikari said as she hopped off the desk. "Don't you rope me in with them; I didn't have anything to do with this."

Kakashi looked towards Hikari.

"Of course you didn't," he said. "You just forgot to come take the eraser down…"

"Hey, your hair is white, mine is black; better you than me," Hikari said as she put her hands on her hips. "It's not like you're going to die from the dust, you're not allergic…"

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully.

"Fair enough…"

Hikari watched him entire the room and immediately, she was raised her guard higher. Even though she and Kakashi were getting used to each other, she was still incredibly nervous around him.

"Come on," Kakashi said as he looked between them. "Let's go outside."

…

"Why do I have to be here?" Hikari asked as she sat next to Kakashi.

"Because your sensei isn't," Kakashi said, "and I figured you would like to sit in with my group."

_"And keep an eye on me,"_ Hikari thought as she smiled.

"Alright," Kakashi said as he looked around. "Why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time."

"Introduce ourselves?" Sakura asked. "Well, what are we supposed to say?"

"Things you like…things you hate. Dreams for the future," Kakashi said as he put his arms out side to side. "Hobbies. Things like that…"

"Why don't you tell us stuff first? I mean before we talk, tell us about you so we can see how it's supposed to work," Naruto said.

"Me?" Kakashi asked as he pointed to himself. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate? I don't feel like telling you that…" Hikari smirked. "My dreams for the future? I haven't really thought of it…As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies…"

"That was totally useless," Sakura said to Naruto. "All he really told us was his name."

"Ok, how about we let Hikari have a go? She should be a better example than I," Kakashi said.

"Thanks, just throw me out there…" she said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm Hikari Koizumi. I enjoy sparring as well as more leisurely activities. I hate girls who don't have a sense of themselves and just stalk after boys and well as arrogant, pompous and annoying boys," Hikari said thoughtfully. "I just don't like a lot of people in general."

"I think she just said she hated all of us…" Naruto said quietly.

"One of my dreams of the future is to be one of the most loyal and dedicated ninja to their master and as for my hobbies, I like artistic getaways; writing, photography and painting being the main ones." Hikari looked towards Kakashi. "Was that what you're driving at?"

He nodded with a smirk.

"Now that I am about to reveal my teams mission for tomorrow, can you please wait for me out front? I don't want to ruin your own mission tomorrow."

Hikari let out a small smile.

"Sure," she said as she hopped off of the railing and then walked past his small group. She turned around and cast him one last sweet smile. "Keep in mind, Kakashi-san, if you're late, I'll murder you."


	6. Chapter VI

_**Chapter VI:**_

Hikari's eyes fluttered open when the sensation of being watched came over her.

"Good day, Hikari," someone said from beside her. She quickly turned her head, ready to pounce, but then held herself back when she took in the sight of her father's personal henchmen. "Let's talk about your mission."

"I have nothing to say to you," she snapped as she glared. "Get out of here before you compromise my mission."

"I'm not compromising anything," he said as he held up a leaf headband. "I'm a member of this village too…It's obviously clear to you why I have been sent, isn't it?"

"You're here to watch me and make sure I don't decide I like it here enough to rebel," Hikari hissed. "I'm not going to betray my own father."

The man wore a sly smile.

"Oh, but I know you will, the fact that you said that tells me all I need to know," he said as he circled around her bed as if she were prey and he was a wild animal. "You're going to fall in love," he said in a mocking tone, "or you're going to find a tie to someone stronger than your loyalty ties you to your father…I'm here to stop that."

Hikari glared the fiercest gaze she could muster, but it didn't sway him to stop talking.

"What of your mission? Have you disposed of the fox-boy yet?"

"I am still unaware of his identity," she hissed through her teeth.

"It's been six months…what's taking you so long?" he asked as he tilted his head. "I guess it would be safe to assume you're failing this mission then?" He let a small chuckle pass his lips. "That's too bad; you were a very promising child. Looks like you have failed your father, again."

"Get out," she demanded as she pointed at the window, "before I scream."

"Scream?" he asked with a chuckle, "I could always make it so you can't speak."

Hikari felt powerless; she knew if she killed him, she would have a mess to explain and would have to convince her father that it was for the greater good of their plan, but she also knew he wasn't likely to believe it. On the other hand, the man in front of her was a prodigy, he could immobilize her if she wasn't quick enough; he had backed her into a mental corner, one she could not get out of without causing bigger issues.

"Get out," she repeated, "I don't care if you watch over me and stop me from falling in 'love'," she mocked, "but just get away from me before I kill you."

The man let out a sly smirk.

"See you around, Hikari," he said as he turned and jumped out of her window again.

Hikari slowly sat up in her bed after a few moments and then gazed out her window.

_"Who could possibly shake my loyalty to father?"_ she asked mentally with a sour frown spread across her face. _"Why would father doubt me now that I am here? Has he been watching me the entire time? He must know that this is no simple task…"_ She looked to her bedside clock and then sighed as she read the time; it was '4:34' am. "I guess I might as well head to the training ground to meet my sensei, but I'm not stupid, I need to eat first.

…

Hikari sighed and stretched as she saw Sora and Hoshi walk up the hill. She lightly waved at them, not as happy as the last time they met up because her mind was heavy with burden.

"Hi Hikari," Sora said as he approached her. "I am going to win this bet," he said confidentially.

"No you're not…" Hoshi said quietly, "Our sensei is going to be a woman…I agree with Hikari…"

"Traitor…" Sora said with a lightly glare.

"Just speaking the truth," Hoshi said with a sly smirk.

"You're wrong," Sora said as he rolled his eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that, but you're going to owe Hikari money…"

Hikari let out a small chuckle at their behaviour. Sora walked further up to Hikari and pulled her into a hug; making her blush and her eyes widen in surprise. She was still trying to figure out where his sudden affection came from through the confusion that clouded her mind when he pulled away.

"It's good to see you again," he said quietly. "I was bored yesterday without you around."

"Quit flirting with Hikari," Hoshi demanded, "our sensei will be here soon and I will bet you any sum of money that she doesn't want to see _that_."

As Hoshi predicted, it wasn't too much later when their sensei walked into sight and that wasn't the only thing he was right about either; Hikari smirked triumphantly when she saw a clearly female kunoichi walk towards them.

"You," she said as she leaned into Sora's ear, "owe me money."

"How about I buy you ramen?" he asked quietly.

"Not a chance," Hikari replied smugly, "pay up sooner than later."

Sora pouted and crossed his arms. The sensei drew closer and as she did, a small smile lifted onto her lips. Her long braided hair was the colour a very soft rose with a hint of being sun-kissed and her eyes shone like the azure sky. She wore basic Jonin attire, except it was black instead of blue, and her vest was the color of a rainy sky. She wore ninja boots that reached her knees, while her pants tucked into them. Above that a crimson sash, made out of net, hung from her waist along with a blade from her hip.

"Good morning, squad six," she said kindly.

"Good morning Sensei," all three of them responded in union.

"Why, I like the looks of this group," she said as she looked each member up and down. "I think we're going to be a very balanced team. By the way, you may call me Asami." Asami looked around the group and nodded again before she continued to talk. "Please state your names and then something about yourselves."

She looked towards Hoshi first.

"Hoshi Hayate," he said quietly, "and a pass-time hobby of mine is reading."

"What sort of reading?" Asami asked curiously. "I guess reading that's more artistic, novels and poetry…stuff like that…" he said with a shrug, "It really doesn't matter so much as it's got an interesting story in it…"

Asami nodded.

"I think you and I will get along just fine, Hoshi," she said with a smile. "I have quite the personal library myself." Asami looked towards Sora next. "And you are?"

"I'm Sora Hayate," Sora said confidentially. "Hoshi is my brother and I love to paint."

"Artistic family?" Asami asked looking between the two.

"Both of our parents are artists, Sensei," Hoshi said quietly.

"I even use my painting skills when I perform my genjustsu!" Sora said excitedly. "Though it needs a lot of practice…"

Asami nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, it's a thought for the future…" she looked towards Hikari. "Now, Kakashi has told me a lot about the teen-girl he'd fostering, but I haven't had the chance to meet you."

"Oh? Well, we get along pretty well," Hikari said thoughtfully, "I'm actually a bit surprised he's mentioned me at all…but never mind that. My name's Hikari Koizumi. I guess to throw into art-lovers of this team, I like photography…"

Asami nodded.

"Now this is where things are going to get…tricky," Asami said with a frown. "We're going to have some special training."

"Special?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"We're going to test your stills as shinobi…out of all the Genin teams that graduated, only four of them are going to go on; in other words, twelve students are going to continue," Asami said seriously as she crossed her arms.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked as his expression fell.

"She means, if we fail, we go back to the academy…" Hoshi said quietly.

Asami frowned with a nod.

"Right on the money…"

"Go back to the academy!?" Sora asked with wide eyes, "but we worked hard to get here!"

"Being a ninja isn't just about working hard…" Asami said quietly. "If you don't know what you're doing, you're going to get killed. Think of this as a…pesticide, if you're not a pest, you won't be weeded out…" Asami looked all three of them in the eye before continuing seriously. "You're going to find many trials like this throughout the shinobi world…candidates are always thinned out until only the best remain."

"This is going to be no sweat," Hikari said to Sora quietly. "As long as we rely in each other as a team, we're going to be ok." Hikari smiled at him sadly and then grasped his shoulder firmly. "Even if we are sent back to the academy, we're going to go as a team, and graduate again as a team…"

Asami had a small smile pull onto her lips.

"Come on, follow me."

…

"This," Asami said as she pointed to a red flag stuck into the ground, "is what you're after."

"A flag?" Sora asked dumbfounded. "Our survival rests in a flag?"

Hikari giggled with a nod.

"Sora, you idiot," Hoshi said as he sighed and crossed his arms. "It's a scenario mission that she's set up. Think of the flag as an enemy treasure or a scroll and it's our job to retrieve it and bring it back safely…"

"Oh, ok," he said with a smirk, "so we're on a mission to steal from our enemy?"

"You have until three," Asami said, "three pm, and then your time's up. The exercise is simple, take the flag from where it stands and then manage to get it past the white line."

The squad turned to look where Asami was pointing.

"We can totally get the flag over to there," Sora said as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Do we look like kiddies?"

Asami let out a chuckle.

"Do you want me to answer that?" she asked as she put her hands on her hips and leaned slightly forwards. Sora scoffed and turned his head away from her. She smiled as she stood up straight and then walked towards the flag. "You should use any means to get the flag away, just remember, this task must be completed before three…"

The squad nodded and then ran into the forest to start planning.


	7. Chapter VII

_**Chapter VII:**_

"Any ideas?" Sora asked Hoshi as he sat on the ground and got a stick.

"I'm working on it," Hoshi said impatiently as he started to draw a diagram of the training ground onto the forest's floor.

"Actually," Hikari said with a smile, "if it's not too much trouble, I do…" Hoshi nodded and then Sora handed his own stick to her. "Just before we start, how many people can use the transformation jutsu?"

Sora and Hoshi looked between each other.

"We both can, why?" Sora asked as he looked at Hikari.

Hikari smirked as she kneeled onto the ground.

"And who is the fastest runner?"

"Out of Sora and I," Hoshi said as he crossed his arms, "that would be me."

"Ok, so this is how it goes," Hikari said as she started to draw on the map, "from this forest, I will create three copies of myself with the clone jutsu, and then transform them. One of them will be transformed into the flag; the others will be transformed into you two."

"A fake team…" Hoshi observed.

"Precisely," Hikari said with a smile, "I will take the two transformed copies of myself and attack the Sensei as a distraction. In the meantime, Sora will take the 'flag', that's really my clone in disguise, and go to this tree," she said as she circled a tree on the very edge of the forest. She looked towards Sora, "you need to be transformed as Hoshi while you wait."

"Got it," he said with a nod.

Hikari nodded and then looked down at her plan.

"Now while I am distracting Sensei, Hoshi will swoop from behind and grab the real flag, running to the tree Sora is in. He will jump into the tree and then Sora will keep on running with the fake flag, making the sensei follow him instead; it must look like a fluid jump, like you're the same person. Hoshi needs to have his timing down, because he needs to jump at high enough altitude so he lands high in the tree's branches so sensei can't hear, smell, sense, or see him and then you Sora must continue to run," Hikari said as she looked up at both Hoshi and Sora. "You understand?"

"Perfectly," Hoshi said with a smirk, "let me guess, when Sensei gets out of sight I will leave the tree and run for the line, where you will be waiting…" Hikari nodded. "I have a few questions, however."

"Okay," Hikari said as she relaxed, "shoot."

"First off, how will sensei realise I am behind her when you are fighting her?" Hoshi asked.

"Surely she will be distracted…you're a pretty brutal fighter, I've seen the way you unleash Ninjutsu during sparing."

"I will smirk and make myself look all excited, maybe even distract myself when I see you a little so that when you're close to the border of the forest, she will turn and see you…" Hikari said thoughtfully.

"That should work," Sora said with a nod.

"Ok, what about leaving Sora with the sensei? That would be like killing a member of our team," Hoshi observed. "How do we get around that?"

Hikari frowned as she looked at the map.

"Well, instead of having a Sora-clone fight the sensei with me, it can really be the real Sora, and one of my clones can substitute his position in the tree…" Hikari suggested.

"No," Sora said with a shake of his head, "I need to be the pawn because if I am not, I am letting the weight of the mission fall onto you two…I need to have a part as well if this is going to work, don't worry, I think I can get away from her."

Hikari nodded.

"I think to play her for a fool we should act like we can't hold a clone jutsu for more than a minute…" Hoshi added as he reached into his ninja pouch. "She won't suspect us to pull off a plan like this…" He pulled three small ball-shaped objects from within. "And to keep strength, eat these."

"Food pills?" Hikari asked with a wide-smile. "Hoshi you're a genius, these will give us enough of a chakra boost to ensure success! We won't overdo it with these."

"Be careful though," Sora pointed out, "they will leave you feeling tired and exhausted…"

"By that time," Hikari said as she took the pill and tossed it into her mouth, "this mission will be done."

…

_"They're strategising as a team,"_ Asami though as she watched the area in the forest the squad was in, _"and they're chakra seems to have increased, so I can guess one of them had food pills to pass around."_ she smirked. _"This team is far advanced beyond their years; they began to handle this without even having to think about teamwork, it just came naturally to them."_ Asami nodded to herself as she crossed her arms. _"This team was well thought out…they're well balanced and have good chemistry…I don't have a doubt in my mind that they will pass the test…"_ Asami smiled to herself triumphantly and crossed her arms. "Ha, and Kakashi thinks that he has bragging rights?"

…

Asami sighed as she shifted her weight and calmly guarded the flag behind her. She did a few stretches to pass some time and then even started to try and figure out the team's plan; she kind of wished she had followed Kakashi's advice and brought a book, but she didn't believe in coming off presumptuous. However, now she was empty-handed and her team was taking forever.

"I do hope they pass, I like this group," she said as she brought a kunai out from her holster strapped onto her leg and began to swing it around her finger. "I'm pretty new at this and I've never gotten a team I could pass…even some of the ones I thought were better, Kakashi advised me not to let them pass; he's right though, the last thing I want is a child dead because I let them pass when I shouldn't of. I don't want that kind of blood on my hands…"

Asami sighed and then began to analyzed the edges of the forest, she was glad she had perked up right in time because she sensed their presence. She raised a brow when she saw all three of them coming at once.

_"They're attacking me directly? After all that time planning?"_

Hikari jumped right into fighting with her and she was far beyond surprised at the sheer strength the girl wielded; she hit as if she had many years of fighting experience. However, after quickly analysing Hikari's fighting style, Asami found that she hit brutally but the way she used Taijutsu was sluggish and lacked proper fluidity from stance to stance. If Asami wanted to, she could easily unhinge her by attacking a few vital weak points, mainly Hikari's diaphragm, which she recklessly failed to defend.

Hoshi and Sora came at her as well, throwing punches and kicks, but Asami noticed that they both took extra care to avoid any of her own attacks at all costs; they relied a lot on Hikari who was doing a majority of the fighting and struggling while she tried.

_"Clones?"_ Asami wondered as she went to turn around and check on the flag, but she got distracted as Hikari started to do handsigns. _"Water Jutsu!?"_ Hikari threw her arms forwards and water from the river behind her started to gather and then rush towards Asami. _"That's a Jonin-leveled water Ninjutsu! They weren't kidding when they told me this kid was a prodigy!"_

Asami quickly sewed together her own handsigns and Hikari watched as her eyes began to glaze over and become an opal hue of colours while beams from the sun began to shine down in front of her and created a physical barrier. It was bright yellow and didn't look solid, but Hikari could tell it was because the barrier protected Asami from its dangerous waves that Hikari had conjured; the water washed around it and past Asami, not even touching her.

Asami looked up at Hikari alarmed to see a small smirk cross her features.

"Got you," Hikari mouthed.

Asami looked over her shoulder with wide eyes as she watched Hoshi dart towards the forest with the flag. Asami quickly turned and started to follow as fast as her feet could carry her.

_"I can't believe I fell for that girl's diversionary tactic! The team must have funnelled her enough chakra from each member to allow her to do that jutsu…smart planning…"_ Asami watched as Hoshi jumped up into the tree that lead into the forest and then disappeared into its branches, only to fall to the branch of the closest tree that was next in his path. She followed him with all the speed she could muster, until she was about fifteen feet into the forest.

Hoshi suddenly came to an abrupt stop and let out a laugh.

"You fell for it again, Sensei," he said triumphantly as he dropped the flag; when it hit the branch, it transformed into Hikari, only then to disappear with a puff of smoke. Hoshi's form started to waver until his brother stood in his place. "It's too late now Sensei, Hoshi's almost there."

Asami's eyes widened as she looked back and saw Hoshi drawing close to the line.

_"I…I can't believe this…"_ Asami thought as she looked at Sora. _"These rookie-Genin managed to pull the wool over my eyes!"_

"Now it's my turn!" Sora yelled as he rushed forwards and aimed a kick.

"Stop!" Asami yelled as she blocked it. "There is no need for this…come with me; you guys have proved yourselves enough today."

Sora's eyes widened as he slowly brought his foot back to the ground.

Asami started to run towards Hoshi and Hikari who were waiting over the line. Once she arrived, she waited for Sora to arrive and then gave the team a huge smile.

"I underestimated you three and for our next mission, I shall not do that again."

"Next mission!?" Sora asked in an excited tone. "We pass!?"

Asami nodded vigorously.

"I haven't seen a Genin-team function so properly for as long as I have been doing this. It normally doesn't click into them that this exercise has to be solved with one of the most basic shinobi principles, teamwork. I am very proud of you all, you have all done well; passed with flying colors in fact. I even think you three will be the rookies to beat in the upcoming Chuunin exams!"

Hikari smiled.

"I'm honoured, Sensei," Hikari said with a bow. "I am so very honoured that you think so highly of cell six."

"And I am honoured to be a part of this cell!" Asami said enthusiastically, "From this day forward, we are one."

"Hai!" the younger members said with smiles, save for Hoshi who gave a small smirk.

"Now to celebrate, I am going to treat you all to barbecue on the way to our first mission," Asami said with a small smile.

"Our first mission, ma'am?" Hoshi asked curiously.

"All I will say is that we are traveling out of the Konohagakure."

"That's so cool!" Sora enthused. "We get to go somewhere! I have to go home and pack!"

Asami let out a small chuckle.

"Squad six is dismissed."

…

"Kakashi! Kakashi!" Hikari said enthusiastically as she ran into their apartment. "Guess what!?"

Kakashi looked up from the table.

"Your team made it through, did they?" Hikari smiled with a nod.

"We passed with flying colours!" she said as she beamed, but as her eyes set upon the guests in their house, she was taken aback.

"Hey, guys," Hikari said with a raised brow as she removed her sandals.

"We're having a dinner as a team," Kakashi said with a small smile. "Would you like to join us?"

Hikari shrugged as she walked to the table and took one of the two remaining seats. "Do you mind? I could always just go eat ramen or something if you guys want to eat alone," Hikari said, void of any real emotions. "I feel kind of like I am intruding…"

"Nonsense," Kakashi said with a joyful smile. "You live here, plus we're celebrating becoming a team."

"Yeah, Hikari," Sakura said with her own smile, "you live here, it'd be crazy to say you couldn't eat."

Hikari looked towards Sakura with a small smile and a nod.

"Hi!" Naruto said cheerfully in between his bites of rice.

Hikari rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Hello, Naruto," she said as she filled her bowl with rice and then placed the toppings on it. "Salmon!" she said enthusiastically as she took an extra piece.

Kakashi smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"We still had some left over fish in the fridge from when we had dinner, so I made that," he said with a nervous laugh.

"You cook my fish for your team when there is a possibility I wouldn't be here?" Hikari asked with a raised brow and in a joking tone. "How cruel of you."

"They all like the food," Kakashi said with a shrug. "Plus, I knew you'd be back."

"Face it Hikari," Naruto said as he covered his mouth so Kakashi couldn't see what he was saying, "Sensei likes salmon a lot too…it's really for him."

"You caught me Naruto," Kakashi said sarcastically.

Through the conversation and meal Sasuke remained quiet, slowly eating his food. Hikari watched him curiously, wondering if he would even say a word. Sasuke suddenly lifted his eyes to look directly into hers from across the table. Hikari felt her cheeks heat as she looked down at her hands and away from his face. After the supper had concluded Hikari offered to do dishes and then Kakashi asked the rest of his team to help.

"So what did you do in your training today?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yes, Asami did tell me that Hoshi and Sora told her that you came up with a brilliant strategy; I'd like to hear what you did," Kakashi said with a smile.

Hikari briefly wondered how he heard that so fast, and then cast it away; she knew by now that Kakashi had some way of knowing everything. That thought alone unsettled her a little.

"Well, I proposed a bunch of diversions to capture the flag; her task that she assigned us was to get the flag away from her while she was guarding it…" Hikari said thoughtfully.

"No fair!" Naruto yelled. "Kakashi _wore_ the bells he tried to make us take!"Hikari smiled and then looked towards him.

"Well, it looks like your Sensei is meaner than mine," she said as she stuck out her tongue. She picked up another dish and then dipped it in the water as she began to scrub the food off of it. "Anyways, now because I am the best at chakra control and performing a couple of jutsu in a sequence, I handled the main distraction. I created three clones of myself and then transformed them all; one as a flag, and then the other two were transformed into my team-mates. I took the fake team with me to attack the sensei. Sora transformed into Hoshi and then waited in a tree with the fake flag, while Hoshi hid in a bush waiting for sensei to be distracted enough. The plan was simple, I distract sensei, Hoshi swoops down and grabs the real flag and then runs towards Sora and jumps into the same tree, while Sora jumps out, making it look like a fluid jump. Sensei fell for the trick and followed Sora, while Hoshi ran the real flag to me who would be waiting at the line to pass…"

"Wow," Sakura said thoughtfully, "you handled three clones, and transformed them all?"

"Not only that," Hikari said with a frown; she didn't really want to tell the next part, but she figured that Asami would tell Kakashi and then he'd wonder why she had lied. "I pretty much wore out most of my chakra by performing a water-jutsu to stop Asami-sensei from turning around and seeing Hoshi…"

Sakura's eyes widened.

"A water-jutsu?" she mouthed.

"Yeah, something I picked up at the academy," Hikari said with a small smile, "Iruka-sensei said he thought I was aligned in the water element and had me try it. It took a lot of practice, but I got it down eventually. I would have been doomed." "What kind of jutsu did you do?" Kakashi asked curiously. Hikari handed the bowl in her hand for Sakura to rinse and dry. "I used a jutsu that created a bit wave," she said with a shrug. "It really wasn't that amazing; I just did what I had to so that I could move on." Hikari looked down at the plate she was scrubbing with a frown. _"If they continue to go on about this, they may start to wonder. As a Genin, I shouldn't have that much chakra…I need to be more careful from now on…"_ Hikari handed the plate to Sakura and then took a bowl from Naruto that he had scrapped the food from.

It didn't take much longer for there to be no dishes in the sink, not with all four of them on the job. Hikari stretched and then walked to the door and started to pull on her sandals.

"I realised I forgot one of my kunai at the training ground," she said as she pulled her stuff on. "I am going to grab it; I'll be back in a bit."

Kakashi nodded and then the rest of his students started to gather at the door.

"I should be getting home," Sakura said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei."

Hikari walked out of the house before the other's had their shoes on and then took a turn for the training ground. She didn't really forget her Kunai; she just wanted to walk and was tired of entertaining guests. She breathed in the fresh air, but then jumped when someone started to speak.

"You didn't really forget a kunai, did you?" Sasuke asked as he walked up to her.

"You caught me," she said smiling sheepishly, "I just wanted a break."

She continued walking again, taking slow and easy steps; and despite how she thought Sasuke would go his own way, he started to trail after her. He was quiet as he followed slightly behind her, making no effort to start conversation or go another way.

"So why are you following me?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"You never know who's around," he said with a shrug. "I figured that I owed you for helping me get untied."

Hikari smiled as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"You could have just said you wanted to walk with me," she said in a teasing tone. "It's not a big deal; we're friends, right?"

He didn't respond to her, so she stopped walking and turned to face him. He seemed to be deep in thought, but he stopped as well, continuing to look at the ground with a serious expression. Despite how much of a sarcastic relationship the two shared, Hikari was hurt by his lack of words. "Oh…I understand…"

"How were you able to create three clones, transform them all, and then use a water-jutsu?" he asked as he looked her in the eyes; she was taken aback. The last thing she expected was a Genin to catch onto her.

"I've always had a lot of chakra," she said with a frown, realising he only followed her because he wanted to know. "I'm pretty good at controlling it and not putting too much into jutsu that doesn't need a whole lot."

"Hn…"

She sighed as she turned and started to walk again. Sasuke watched after her with a frown but then turned down the road he was supposed to take, just a few steps from where Hikari had stood, and started to head for home.


	8. Chapter VII-I

_**Chapter VII-I:**_

Hikari stretched and yawned as she got up from her bed, thinking about what she should do on a day she had off. She had spent the entire day before doing mediocre chores that were ranked as D-ranked missions; weeding gardens, net fishing, walking dogs, finding lost pets, and even doing a bit of grocery-shopping. However, she found she had no room to talk when she would be getting paid for what she did, it's not like she was doing the missions with nothing to justify the means; it was kind-of worth it in the end, she wasn't rich.

Casting her thoughts away, she got dressed and then made her way out into the kitchen. It was still early morning, the sun's rays were shining brightly through the windows and lighting up the softly-coloured walls and reflecting off of every surface they touched. Hikari saw Kakashi sitting at the table, reading an orange hard-cover book.

"Morning," she said with a yawn. "How was your mission in the land of waves?"

"Interesting," Kakashi said as he looked up at her. "I taught my students how to walk up a tree."

"Pfft," Hikari said as she waved the air. "Asami taught us that trick weeks ago."

"Did anyone have any problems?"

"Sora struggled because he isn't used to applying an even amount of chakra like Hoshi and I," Hikari said with a shrug, "but he caught on pretty quickly once we showed him how to do it."

Hikari walked to the cupboard and took out a box of cereal that advertised it had a lot of fibre in it. She poured herself a bowl and then added milk, bringing it to the table with a spoon and then sitting across from Kakashi.

"Anything else happen? Anything exciting?" she asked before she took a bite.

"The man we were escorting lied to us and told us he had no enemies…turned out he had a mob and rouge Shinobi after him," Kakashi said as he watched her.

"That sucks," Hikari said as she raised her brow. "Who freaking does that? Doesn't he realise he's risking the life of _kids_ by lying like that? Did he do it so it wouldn't cost as much?" Kakashi nodded. "That really ticks me off," she said as she shook her head, "the nerve of some people. Well, I am glad everyone's alright." She brought more cereal to her mouth and then chewed thoughtfully. "So you guys ran into some ninja? Anybody worth mentioning?"

"Zabuza Momochi," Kakashi said as he closed his book and then set it on the table, "and a few lesser Shinobi."

Hikari's eyes widened.

"Like _the_ Zabuza Momochi? The crazy killer from the mist, Zabuza Momochi?" she asked as she leaned back and stared intently. "You've got to be kidding me. How did you manage to fight him off while protecting three Genin and the guy you were escorting?"

"My cell handled the whole situation very well," Kakashi said with a smile. "I think Naruto even grew a little in skill."

"Wow, that's amazing," Hikari said as she shook her head. "You and three Genin held off Zabuza Momochi…did he die?"

"He was working for a gang of thugs," Kakashi said with a nod. "In the end, he died from excessive blood-loss when he turned on them."

"Wow, so he didn't even have anything personal against you guys, huh?" Hikari asked as she took another bite of her food. "The thugs sent him after you…"

"Yeah, well let's just say I think it's enough excitement for my team for the time being," Kakashi said with a chuckle. "How was your team's first mission outside the village?"

"Good," Hikari said as she thought back on it. "We had to escort this princess to the village Hidden behind the Waterfall…she was actually pretty nice and was just worried about some vagabonds stealing her valuables." Hikari took another bite before continuing. "We didn't encounter any real problems, but Asami taught us a few things on the way."

"I'm glad your mission went over so well," Kakashi said with a light-hearted smile.

"Thanks," Hikari said with her own smile, even though on the inside she felt uneasy, and scooped up the last bite before taking her dish to the sink. "I'm going to do a bit of shopping with the money I got from my mission; I want to get some Shuriken. After that I think I'm going to go down to the training grounds…I am still relatively new at being a kunoichi and even though everyone says I am a natural and good at it, I like to practice a lot."

"Well, you should thank Iruka that he has been teaching you some of the things you should know in his free time," Kakashi said as he opened his book again. "You're getting about six years of knowledge you never had from him in his spare time."

"I have about a hundred times," Hikari said as she walked to the door and then took her ninja-supplies from the hanger with her stuff on it. She strapped her kunai holster to her leg and weapons pouch to her belt. She tied her headband to her thigh and then stretched. "I'll see you later, Kakashi," she said as she slipped on her ninja sandals and then waved.

…

"Hello, Iruka-sensei," Hikari said with a grin as she approached him. "What are we doing today?"

"Well, I thought that we'd celebrate," Iruka said with a kind smile as he crossed his arms. "You have already picked up the basics so fast and then you are learning with Asami and Kakashi as well…you're really moving along nicely."

"Why, thank you," Hikari said as she beamed, she had to remind herself to smile when he complimented her, it was supposed to be a big accomplishment. "So, what are we doing?"Iruka put his hand on the back of his neck.

"I hope you like ramen because that's where I normally take Naruto," Iruka said as he walked towards her. "Ichiraku is a really great ramen place."

"Alright," Hikari said with a nod as she began to follow him, "ramen sounds good." Hikari's face fell and she rolled her eyes at her realisation. "Wait, shoot I forgot my wallet at home. Can I run to go grab it and then meet you there?"

"Nonsense," Iruka said as he looked towards her. "This is my treat."

…

"Hikari-chan! Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said loudly with surprise, and his mouth full of noodles, as the two sat next to them.

"Hey, Naruto," Hikari said with a smile. She looked past him and saw his entire team, "and everyone else."

"What'll be?" the shop keeper asked Hikari with a friendly smile.

"Barbecued pork please," she said as she looked towards him.

"And you?" he asked Iruka.

"Miso," he said as he reached forwards and grabbed some chop sticks.

"So, I didn't know you were coming out today, Kakashi," Hikari said as she looked at him.

"You didn't ask," he said as he looked up from his book with a smile.

Hikari's brow twitched.

"So what are you guys up to?" she asked as she looked towards them.

"Kakashi-sensei agreed to get us lunch before sparring today," Sakura said as she glanced for Hikari.

"Speaking of sparring," Kakashi said as he looked towards Hikari, "would you mind joining us?"

"Joining you?" Hikari asked with a raised brow before turning her head to smile at the shop-keeper that set her ramen in front of her. She took a pair of chopsticks and then picked off one of the toppings, putting it into her mouth and then biting on the utensil in thought. "Why do you need me?"

"I would like someone to spar against Sakura," Kakashi said as he eyed Hikari. They stared at each other for a moment and silence began to fall as the tension built; she knew he was up to something and she also knew that he could tell that she was aware of that fact. He was baiting her somehow, but she just didn't know his plan. She couldn't figure out what advantage he saw in making her train with Sakura.

"Sure," she said as she brought some of the noodles to her lips.

As if nothing had occurred in the first place to make the atmosphere of the restaurant awkward, the tension suddenly dispersed when Kakashi gave her a closed-eyed smile.

"Perfect."

"Awesome! Hikari-chan is going to train with us," Naruto said loudly. "Can I spar with her instead, Sensei!? Please?"

"No, I think Hikari is more fitted to fight Sakura," Kakashi said as he watched them eat.

"Awe, come on! You heard about what she did in training with her sensei! I want to fight her!" Naruto said with a frown as he crossed his arms. He looked down at his noodle-less bowl and then at the shop-keeper. "Top me off old-man!"

"Watch your mouth, Naruto," the shop keeper said with a roll of his eyes as he put a cup-full of noodles in Naruto's broth.

_"More fitted to fight Sakura?"_ Hikari wondered with a frown as she ate more of her noodles. _"Sakura's so weak physically…I spared against her in the academy and I remember that she didn't come off as anything worth committing to memory. But still…there must be something." _

Hikari looked through her lashes at Kakashi and then made her expression become indifferent when she realise her mouth was set in a serious frown when she watched his brow rise.

_"Sakura's smart…maybe he thinks she will outsmart me?"_ Hikari bit her lip. _"I don't get it…why pair someone of my calibre against Sakura who is surely to lose?"_ As the realization hit her, her eyes widened a little. _"It's because he doesn't know my strength! He thinks I should be on the same level as Sakura because I am supposed to be new at this. Kakashi wants to watch me fight and to analyse me; he wants to see if he can determine my amount of experience through the way I fight."_ Hikari almost snarled but she bit her tongue._ "This is bad…however, this might not be as destructive as it could be; my Taijutsu isn't really up to par with my level, so I may come off as a normal Genin-ranked kunoichi if I just stick to fighting hand-to-hand." _

Hikari looked to her side and saw Kakashi watching her and then brought more of the soup to her lips.

"I just need to calm down…the more I freak out in front of him, the more I give away. That's why he did this, he asked me to watch me squirm…" Hikari pushed her ramen away, the noodles gone. "_I refuse to give him a show, I will not __**fail**__ this mission; there is no room for such stupid mistakes!" _

"Shall we go?" Kakashi asked as he looked around. "It's already one and I have some mission reports to hand in by three, so let's go."

"But I'm not done my ramen," Naruto whined as he tried to wolf down the rest of his noodles in one bite.

"You're going to choke yourself, loser," Sasuke said with a roll of his eyes as he stood and then shoved his hands in his pockets.

Hikari stood too, stretching.

"Well, I will see you later, Iruka-sensei!" Hikari said with a sweet smile. "We're learning about plants that can be made into poisons tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," Iruka said as he looked down at Hikari from his stool. "Come to the academy and don't be late."

"I won't," Hikari said with a smile. She turned and then saw that Naruto was still trying to down his ramen. "Hurry up, they're leaving without you."


	9. Chapter VII-II

_**Chapter VII-II:**_

Hikari stood directly opposite of Sakura, standing in a sturdy fighting stance as she held her fists near her head, ready to throw punches. Hikari had decided that she would try not to use Ninjutsu against Sakura, knowing that if she did, she would beat her. She wanted to appear at an equal match or slightly better than Sakura, but nothing more; she was aiming to completely rid Kakashi's suspicions of her, not make them worse.

"Start!" Kakashi said as he, Naruto, and Sasuke stood around watching their fight.

"Chaa!" Sakura yelled as she wound up her fist and began to run at Hikari.

"Too predictable," Hikari said as she grabbed a hold of Sakura's arm and parried her attack, moving behind the pink-haired kunoichi and aiming a strong kick for the other girl's ribs.

Sakura jumped back in time just so that she only get scrapped by Hikari's shin and her eyes widened at the force of the impact she had managed to inflict.

_"That kick was by no novice,"_ Sakura thought with widened eyes._ "The bone of her shin was worn down, as if she's been doing this for years."_

"I thought you were new at this," Sakura said as she sunk back down into her stance.

"Being a kunoichi? Yes," Hikari said as she charged at Sakura. "Fighting? No!"

Sakura began to block her attacks, easily spotting weaknesses in the girl's form, however, she hesitated on taking her advantage because she wasn't sure if Hikari was baiting her. Sakura leapt forwards and drove Hikari back by shoving her with her shoulder and a lot of momentum behind it. Hikari skidded backwards and then jumped to aside, managing to miss Sakura's fist flying towards her head with speeds she didn't think the pink-haired kunoichi was capable of.

Hikari took her advantage, finding herself on Sakura's side and Sakura losing her balance after her quick escape, she charged at the younger girl and then tackled her to the ground, managing to mount her.

"You're mine," Hikari said as she drew her kunai and put it to Sakura's neck.

"I don't think so!" Sakura cried as she dug her elbow into Hikari's thigh and then rolled out of her hold, springing to her feet and getting away from the other girl. _"I can't let her get me on the ground again, that was close." _

Hikari slowly stood and then turned to face her opponent again, tightening her grip on her kunai as she charged at the girl. Sakura drew her own knife and the sound of clashing metal rang clear through the forest. They were constantly fighting for the advantage, one girl meeting the other's attack with a parry and no one particularly getting anywhere. However, Hikari saw her own benefit when she noticed Sakura panting; the girl was running out of energy, wasting it all in quick bursts of power. Hikari also took notice to the fact that Sakura never loosened her fists, she kept them constantly closed and that expelled a lot of wasted energy in the long run.

_"I just have to tire her out…I know for a fact that I have more endurance, so as long as we keep fighting like this, I will win,"_ Hikari thought with a triumphant smirk.

"Don't get cocky!" Sakura yelled as she attacked Hikari again, managing to put a long scrap on the girl's alabaster cheek.

Hikari jumped back and touched the cut, seeing blood stain her fingertips. She frowned and looked up at Sakura.

"Not bad," she said as she wiped her cheek on her gloved hand. "But still not good enough to beat me."

Hikari ran at Sakura, throwing jabs, crosses, and upper cuts to try and throw the girl off her balance; if she could just make Sakura stumble, she could finish her off. She could see Sakura was tiring; her punches were less professional, her elbows were rising, and her stance was becoming weak. However, Sakura had a lot of right in her and Hikari admired that. Sakura threw a high kick, meaning to impact Hikari's ribs, but she foresaw the attack, knowing Sakura was going to try and go full out on her at some point. She grabbed Sakura's leg and then stepped to the side to shift her off balance, Hikari then moved forwards and wrapped her leg around Sakura's free one, forcing the girl into the ground. Hikari rushed behind Sakura and then grabbed her, putting her head in a lock with her arm and then pressing her muscle into her jugular. After a few seconds, the girl's face turned beat red and she began to flail wildly.

"I yield!" Sakura yelled.

The moment Hikari heard the words; she let Sakura go and then stood up, brushing herself off.

"Sorry if I was a little rough on you," Hikari said with a small smile as she put her hand behind her head. "I have been separately trained in my spare time to catch me up to you guys and my Sensei taught me how to fight like that…I kind of wanted to try it out."

"Wow, Sakura," Naruto said as he rushed over to his pink-haired teammate and helped her to her feet. "You should train with Hikari more often! You guys are really close!"

"You think so?" Sakura asked as she looked up at Naruto.

"Koizumi went easy on Sakura," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms.

"Excuse me?" Hikari asked with a raised brow and frown as she crossed her arms. "I can assure you I put everything into that fight. To insinuate I did any less is to disrespect Sakura. That's like saying that I went easy on her because I thought she was weak and _still_ won."

"It's obvious you went easy on her," he said as he rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean Sasuke!?" Naruto yelled. "Stop being a jerk! You're just trying to make Sakura-chan feel bad!"

"Sakura was on the verge of collapsing," Sasuke said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, "yet Koizumi hasn't even broken a sweat."

"Huh?" Naruto asked as he turned towards Hikari and looked at her. "You're right, she hasn't. But Sasuke, she's a girl. I don't think they sweat."

"Idiot," the Uchiha said with another roll of his eyes. "Sakura is completely out of breath and she had been training for years, and Koizumi is fine."

"Listen here, Uchiha," Hikari hissed as she stepped towards him and planted her hands on her hips. "I may not be as trained as you guys are, but none of you know what it's like to live on the streets! If you bust into the wrong house, you could get chased for miles by the police. I just have a lot of endurance because I have been an orphan for years."

"Sakura is a trained Kunoichi who has been in the academy since she was six," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms.

"Also, I don't sweat easy at all," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "It's something that happened as I gained more of that endurance we talked about…you're overthinking, Uchiha." Naruto crossed his arms and looked between them.

"It was nice to spar against you," Hikari said as she turned to Sakura with a faint smile.

"However, I am going to go now. I promised my teammates I'd hang out with them."

"Bye, Kari!" Naruto yelled.

Hikari sighed as she smiled and waved at him. She frowned as her eyes found Kakashi; she had just hoped what Sasuke had said did not make him too suspicious.


	10. Chapter VII-III

_**Chapter V II-III:**_

"I am so bored, Hoshi!" Hikari groaned as she picked up trash with the sharp point of the stick she had been instructed to use and put it in the waste basket she carried. "If this is what this damn village calls a mission, being a Kunoichi sucks ass!"

"It's just a small D-ranked mission," Hoshi said with a shrug as he stabbed at an empty pop-can. "These are to train Genin for bigger missions."

"Being we're just that! Genin! Not garbage removers," Hikari said with a pout. "Why in the world would someone call in a mission for picking up trash?"

"Well, there is always that lady who loses her cat," Sora said with a shrug. "Is that more ninja-like for you?"

Hikari rolled her eyes and then stabbed her stick into the ground, taking her hand away to wipe the sweat from her brow. The sun was beating down, making Hikari feel unbearably hot and lazy. She wished she could be inside some building, sitting in front of a fan as it blew her hair around. She was not used to the heat where she came from, she was used to dark and damp surroundings.

"I don't want to catch cats, walk dogs, weed gardens, or pick up trash," Hikari said through her teeth. "I want to do something productive that will advance our skills. For crying out loud, Asami sensei isn't even here to make this better!"

"Why does that matter?" Sora asked as he drove his stick into the ground and then leaned on it with crossed arms.

"She could teach us while we work," Hoshi explained as he stabbed a sandwich wrapper and trashed it.

"I say after this, we all go out to lunch and treat ourselves," Sora said as he removed his stick and got back to work. "We have been working our asses off all morning with manual labour, I say we deserve a nice break."

"Sounds great to me," Hikari said as she fanned herself with her hand. "As long as we don't go to Ichiraku or someplace that is out in the heat like that. I want to go indoors to some place with a cooling-system."

"How about that stir fry place?" Hoshi asked as he looked towards Hikari. "They are a little pricier, but worth it."

"I don't mind," Hikari said with a grin. "Let's just get this done, find a place to chill and get something cool to drink."

"She said it!" Sora exclaimed as he began to go about his task quicker.

Hikari smiled as she yanked her stick out of the ground and then began to work again, also quickening her pace at the thought of somewhere cool to rest.

…

"Gosh," Hikari said as she set her chopsticks down. "I swear that Cell Seven is favoured around here."

"What do you mean?" Hoshi asked with a quirked brow as he put more food in his mouth.

"Well, it's just that they have been going on all the real missions…they have already had two missions outside of the village," Hikari said with a pout as she crossed her arms. "All we get to do is child-like chores. This is not what I signed up for."

"Hey, it's a job, you're making money, quit complaining," Sora said with a shrug. "We'll get there eventually. Besides, Cell Seven was grossly under-prepared for their mission the Land of Waves. They got caught up there because I heard Uchiha was half-dead at one point."

Hikari began to chuckle.

"What is it?" Hoshi asked with a raised brow.

"Well, it's just that he sees himself as such a hot-shot," Hikari said with a smile. "It's good to hear that something might have smacked his ego around."

"Uchiha will never change," Sora said bitterly. "I have never liked that guy."

"I don't find him to be all that terrible," Hoshi said as he crossed his arms. "The guy has had a lot of bad things happen to him."

"Oh yeah, like what? Losing to Naruto?" Sora asked with a smirk.

"No…you never noticed that whenever there were parent-teacher meetings, his never attended after he was about seven years old?" Hoshi asked as he crossed his arms. "They're dead Sora, killed by his own brother."

"What," Hikari mouthed with shock reflecting in her eyes. The mention of the bad news shocked her right out of her happy attitude and made something much darker settle in her gut. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she felt like she had heard about what Hoshi spoke of before, but it was like a distant and locked memory. Whatever it was, it made her feel uneasy.

"Yeah, the Uchiha were all massacred by his older brother," Hoshi said with a shrug.

"The non-shinobi population doesn't really know much about it, they just know there was a crazy murderer one night. However, even though I was only seven or eight when it happened, I remembered them talking about it. The guy is probably incredible traumatised."

Hikari looked at her fingers, her eyes softening.

"A lot of his attitude makes sense now," Hikari said with a frown. "What a horrible thing to have happen to you."

"The word is that he saw the entire thing too," Hoshi said as he picked up his chop sticks again and began to eat. "Now you guys can see why I don't really hate Uchiha. He just feels like he has got something to prove."

"Please, every one of us has something to prove," he said with a scoff as he crossed his arms after brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah, but I bet he feels like he couldn't do anything to help them," Hikari said as she lowered her eyes to the table. "I can only image how terrible that would feel all the time…it would eat away at you. And to think, he spends so much time alone."

Sora rolled his eyes and began to stab at his food again.

"I say that is his problem," he said curtly. "If he was smarter, he'd try to make friends instead of pushing everyone away."

"But you don't know what it's like to lose so much at once," Hikari said with a frown. "He's probably afraid of making connections because it hurt so much the last time they disappeared. It's like there is a hole there inside of you, never quite healing, especially when the person is ripped away from you suddenly."

"It sounds to me like you have some experience in this," Hoshi said inquisitively.

"Yeah, my mom suddenly passed away one morning before I had even turned ten," Hikari said quietly. "I didn't even know she was sick and suddenly, she was gone. I can only image feeling that about both of my parents, aunts, uncles, and kin…and then to find out my sibling took that all away from me?" Hikari paused and looked up at Sora with a frown. "That would be truly horrible."

"I guess you have a point," Sora grumbled.

"Let's get off this glum topic," Hoshi said as he flagged down a waiter. "Can we get a picture of lemonade and three bowls of vanilla ice-cream?" The waiter nodded and then smiled before she departed.

…

Hikari yawned as she walked into her home and was surprised to see Kakashi and his cell in her living room.

"Welcome back, how was the mission?" she asked as she took off her shoes and walked towards them.

"Boring," Naruto complained. "All we did was escort an annoying princess!"

"Well, all I did today was pick up trash, so I think you had the better time," Hikari said with a playful roll of her eyes.

Hikari sighed and then looked around the room, when her eyes fell to Sasuke her conversation with Hoshi and Sora came to mind. She wondered if the pity she felt was obvious in her eyes despite that she was trying to hide it. Hikari chewed on the inside of her lip and then forced her eyes to Kakashi, forcing a smile to come to her lips.

"So, how was everything?"

"Great, no problems," he said with his own cheerful smile. "Now that we're all here though, I can make my announcement."

"Announcement?" Hikari asked as she looked around. "But Sakura's not here, Kakashi-san."

"We were waiting for you," Sasuke said in his usually uninterested tone.

"Oh, well that's a change," Hikari said with a guilty smile. "I am sorry, I would have come home sooner if I knew people would be here waiting for me."

"Getting back to what I have to tell you guys," Kakashi said as he looked around at them.

"In three days we will all leave the village on a very special escort mission."

"Why am I going?" Hikari asked as she tilted her head. "I have my own squad."

"Sakura's sick!" Naruto yelled. "She got really sick when we escorted Kimiki-chan home!"

"The Hokage has selected you to take her place based on the fact that you are estimated to be around Sakura's level as a Kunoichi," Kakashi said with a closed-eyed smile.

_"What an insult,"_ Hikari thought as her eye twitched.

"We will be escorting a noble-man to his home in the Land of Rice Fields."

"The Land of Rice Fields?" Hikari asked as a frown stretched across her lips. "But that's where the Sound Village is."

"Yes, but he is not a part of Orochimaru's gang of Shinobi," Kakashi said with a reassuring smile. "However, because we are entering enemy territory, this is considered a B-class mission because of the danger of potential conflict, though it is not expected."

"Alright," Hikari said with a soft smile. "Let's do it."


	11. Chapter VIII

_**Chapter VIII:**_

Hikari walked up the flight of steps inside of the hospital with a sigh. When she reached the room she was traveling to, she slid open the door and stepped inside. Sakura was leaning over the opposite edge of her bed, upchucking in a bucket. Hikari cringed at the gagging noise, but then took a breath and shut the door.

"You ok?" Hikari asked as she walked over and pulled Sakura's long petal-pink hair back.

"Thanks…" Sakura said quietly as her skin gained a ghastly green colouration. She suddenly frowned and then leaned over further, gagging again. "I'm feeling fine except for my stomach…"

Hikari nodded as she tried to give Sakura and small smile as she released her hair and stepped back to put distance between them.

"I came to tell you they put me on a mission with your team," she said slowly. Sakura's face fell. "I'm not here to gloat, but I heard you were sick from my sensei when she told me about the mission. I just came to say I'd do my best trying to fill in your shoes for the team and try to keep them safe to my best ability."

Sakura's frown slowly turned into a smile.

"…Thank you, Hikari…" she said quietly as she tried to resist the urge to throw-up the nonexistent contents of her stomach. Hikari smiled as she reached into her pouch and removed a vial of clear liquid.

"My team just came from the waterfall village, escorting a princess; she gave me a few of these. It's medicine and it really works well, apparently. Here, try it and see if it makes you feel any better," Hikari said as she pushed the glass into Sakura's hands. "Oh and I know how much hospital food sucks, so I may have bought you some good food for dinner and paid off a nurse to give it to you."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "I didn't realise how nice you are until now, but I have to tell you that I'm really glad you came to visit me," Sakura said as her eyes fell to her hands. "Only Naruto and Kakashi-san came to visit me, but I wish that…" Sakura sighed, "it's silly…"

"You wished that Sasuke would come?" Hikari asked as she crossed her arms. "He's just a silly boy, I bet when he gets older he will think more about others."

Sakura looked up at Hikari hopefully.

"You think so, Hikari?"

"I can only hope," she said with a small smile, "but I'm not making any promises for him."

Sakura nodded and then looked towards Hikari.

"Thanks, again," she said softly. "You've been really nice to me lately and it's nice to know that you don't hate me, or think I'm pathetic."

Hikari nodded.

"I used to," she said as a sigh escaped her, "but I did a bit of growing up. I learned we cannot help the way we are and should accept each other with the flaws that we bear. Why should someone be granted the pleasure of being around another at their best, if they cannot handle their worst?"

Sakura nodded as she looked towards the ceiling, but then her face greened again and she was leaning over her bed and upchucking in a fraction of a second. Hikari let a sad smile come to her face as she watched Sakura.

"Well, I have to get to the meeting point, so I'd better go…"

"Yeah…thanks for everything…" Sakura muttered as she upchucked again.

Hikari stepped away from the bedside and walked out of the room. As she slid the door shut she heard Sakura puke again and shook her head as she walked towards the stairs of the building.

…

"Oi, Hikari, you're late!" Naruto yelled as he stomped his feet into the ground. "You're even more late that Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto pointed to the Sensei with an accusing finger making Hikari smirk. "That's twice in one week!"

"I'm sorry, I just went to go see a friend of mine," Hikari said as she stretched.

"Hikari it's not helpful to keep your team waiting," Kakashi started to lecture, until he got glares from the three younger members. "Well, maybe I shouldn't be the one to speak to you about this…"

"That's right," Hikari said triumphantly, "you have no room to talk."

Hikari stretched one more time as she yawned.

"And she's tired too…" Sasuke muttered as he rolled his eyes, "dead weight."

"Takes one to notice one…" she said simply as she walked past him with her hands planted on her hips. "Well, aren't we going?"

Kakashi sighed as he shook his head and then walked to the head of the group.

"I will explain the mission in more depth when we stop for the night, we have a long way to go," he said as he started to walk.

Hikari nodded and started to walk after him, bringing a brainteaser from within her bag and starting to play with it while she had the time and the road wasn't dangerous.

…

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" Hikari asked as she rolled her eyes. "We have to escort some stuck-up, pompous, hot-shot, egotistical noble?" She huffed as she crossed her arms. "When you said he was a noble-man I thought you meant he'd be mature, but this guy is so annoying! I will not carry your bags, good sir! I am so going back to Konoha, Sakura will rush out of bed for this one, so don't worry about a fourth member of the squad."

"Is she always this harsh?" the noble in question asked.

"Yeah…" Naruto said with an exaggerated sigh, "that about sums her up."

"Hikari, you are a part of this cell rather you want to be or not and this man's fate rests in our hands. Don't let the team down by throwing a temper tantrum, ok?" Kakashi asked with a sigh, "It's just a week with him, it's nothing."

"Fine," Hikari said with a pout, "fine, I'll play nice."

Through the conversation Sasuke hadn't said a thing, instead he studied Hikari's reaction to the noble, and found it sceptical that she would react so negatively to him. She wore a giant frown, but deep in her eyes he saw discomfort flicker, and he could sense it on her; though no one else seemed to notice it.

Sasuke frowned when he realised how he forced himself to map out parts of her personality. He knew for sure that Hikari was one of the most complicated girl's he had ever met, but he did remember his dad and uncle always talking about how women were difficult to understand; maybe Hikari was just like that, foreign and strange to his usual mindset. He knew that was exactly the very reason he was trying to figure her out, however, the more he did it, the more he discovered about her. It was like there was no end to her and it infuriated him; she was like a puzzle he could not solve. He could not deal with the idea that there was a person out there he couldn't understand, after all, he had his entire team mapped out already; Sakura was just a desperate girl who craved attention, Naruto was also desperate for attention, but only because no one ever acknowledged him, and Kakashi was…well he was Kakashi. Those familiar indicators weren't there for Hikari though, it was like her book was written in another language and she enjoyed the fact that she _knew_ he couldn't read it.

As the team turned to set out after his companions he saw that Hikari had lingered behind as she bit her thumbnail and wore a more serious expression, one far past her age. She suddenly looked up and realised that Sasuke was staring at her, making her turn her head and continue walking with the group like nothing had happened. He knew there was there was something going on in her head, just not _what._

…

_"Why is he here!?"_ One of Hikari's many thoughts surfaced as her inner self panicked in turmoil. She managed to calm herself, to an extent, and then speak. "So, you're not running from any Shinobi right? Kakashi-san said we just had to take you to your home and hopefully we will have minimum contact with the Sound."

"Oh, that's correct," the man said with a smile. "The only ninja I have met are you. Our lord keeps us cut off from our ninja. It's hard for anyone, except men hand chosen by the village leader and men born in the shinobi village, to become shinobi. Anyone else is considered farmers and useless to the military."

Hikari scowled at the noble, mentally, as she started to walk. She knew him, she didn't have a doubt about his identity, but she didn't understand why he wanted to go to Ta No Kuni and why he wasn't in Kaze no Kuni. More specifically, she didn't understand why he wasn't in Sunagakure. The man was a shinobi called Arata and he worked under her father's lesser servants, a body guard for Hikari when she was young, around the time her mother had taken ill. Hikari glued her eyes to the man as her stomach churned with unease and made her feel physically sick; she wanted to upchuck like she had seen Sakura do so many hours before.

_"Sakura?"_ Hikari thought as her eyes widened and she looked at the man. _"He had no way of knowing I would get to go on this mission with this specific team unless he got rid of a team mate, Sakura. He must have made her sick, she's probably been given food poisoning by something slipped into her food to look like a flu while she was escorting that princess. How clever Arata. He only hired us to scare me, to scare me into being loyal. Why does father distrust me so? It doesn't matter, for now I need to be sure that Kakashi trusts me. I have to make sure that is this jerk says something potential criminalizing, he won't believe him. I have to expose Arata without screwing myself over."_

Hikari worked on taking slow and long breaths to calm herself, but that didn't stop her heartbeat from surging when she felt someone suddenly latch onto her wrist. That someone drew her closer towards them and she could feel their body pressed against her back.

"What do you know about this?" Sasuke demanded in a whisper next to her ear, his voice made unexpected shivers crawl down her spine and only made her eyes widened as a result of her reaction to him. Pushing her alarm down and into her control, she sighed and then relaxed as she released the tension she had gained by one action from Sasuke.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said quietly, "now, let go of me."

Sasuke complied with her request and took a step back, however, his firm grip did not leave her wrist; she could tell he meant business. She was not going to get rid of him by just telling him to back off.

"I saw your shock and your distaste towards the man," he stated quietly. "You looked scared and you and I both know something's not right about him, so tell me what you know." Hikari sighed as she bit her lip for a moment while she inwardly weighed the pros and cons.

"I think he's a shinobi…an enemy shinobi…"


	12. Chapter IX

_**Chapter IX:**_

"Do you have any proof?" Sasuke asked quietly as he began to walk again as he glanced back at Hikari, signalling her to follow him with his eyes. She continued like nothing had happened.

"No, it's just a gut feeling; but there's something about his grin that makes me uneasy. The look he gives me when I question him; it's like he's trying too hard to be friendly with us…" Hikari said with a small frown plastered on her face as she concentrated on keeping her voice just under a whisper. "However, it's his word against mine and my gut feeling is not enough evidence…it's an entirely bad idea to accuse him of anything at the moment." Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"We will have to work together to expose him," Sasuke muttered thoughtfully. "If he is a Sound-shinobi, we can bring him to Konoha for investigation. Intelligence against one of the village's greatest foes is not a bad idea…"

"How do you propose we do that?" Hikari asked with scepticism leaking from her words. _"Truthfully, the last thing I want to do is to bring Arata to Konoha. He could tell them about my true identity and it would cause me to lose everything." _

Hikari bit her lip as she looked at Sasuke. Something shone in his eyes and she felt like she could trust him. She felt like he wanted her to trust him too, but maybe she was just projecting that emotion onto him; maybe what she really wanted was for him to trust her. With a sigh, she decided to go along with what he had suggested; there was no other option but to expose him.

"He isn't about to just announce it to the world." A smirk appeared on Sasuke's face as he looked ahead at the 'noble-man'.

"We make him act like a shinobi, make him draw out his natural instincts. It can't be that hard…" Sasuke said with a shrug.

Hikari sighed with a nod.

"I hope this works out, if he is a good shinobi, he won't want to be caught out. It's a shinobi's duty to blend in, so let's hope he lacks that skill…" Hikari whispered back to him in her lowest tone possible, the last thing she wanted was for Arata to overhear her.

Hikari thought back to the time she had spent with Arata when he used to guard her as a child. She couldn't actually recall him 'blending', if her memory served her correctly, she recalled him acting more like the bouncer for an important party; he just lingered behind or in front of her with his hands folded in front of him while he surveyed the area. Hikari sighed as she quickly glanced for the man, he was walking in front of the entire group, his shoulders were relaxed and his hands were folded in front of him as he watched the forest lines.

"He's too attentive," Sasuke muttered quietly. "He is surveying the area around him, almost like he is anticipating an attack from any direction."

"I was just thinking the same thing…"

…

"Wow, we have covered a lot of ground," Hikari said as she looked around the road they traveled on. It was nearing nightfall and Hikari knew they would stop soon, but she hoped there was an inn or at least a tea-house somewhere on the road. She would kill for something hot to drink.

"Yes, you guys have impressed me with your endurance," Arata said to the group with a friendly smile. "When they told me the shinobi of Konoha were efficient, I never imaged to this degree. This is more than I could have ever hoped for to get home safe."

"Well, that's our job, mister!" Naruto said loudly with a large grin that showed his teeth upon his lips. "We will get you home safe! Don't worry, I promise and I never go back on my word!"

The shadow of the large cliff blocking the sun made Hikari nervous; they were passing through an area that could be compared to a trench. The large rocks towered over them on both sides and the looming sensation made Hikari feel trapped.

"Shush, Naruto," Hikari hissed as she lightly shoved at his back. "We're out of our own territory; we could be attacked or ambushed at any moment and this is the perfect spot. I don't want them knowing we're coming because you're too loud."

Naruto turned towards her and crossed his arms.

"Come on, Hikari, we just got out of the Land of Fire, I doubt anyone is going to have to guts when we're so close to home! We won't be-" Before Naruto could finish his sentence, a kunai whizzed by his head and was hurtling towards Hikari at an alarming rate. She was quick to jump out of the way and watch it plunge into the ground behind her. "…attacked."

Sasuke yanked the kunai from the ground and frowned.

"Sound shinobi," he said as he looked at the engraving on the metal. "Nice job, idiot."

"Form a protective circle around Arata!" Kakashi demanded as he sped ahead and clashed against a masked shinobi, kunai against kunai.

Hikari, Sasuke, and Naruto spread themselves out around him, looking for other enemies. The first jumped at Naruto, trying to take him by surprise. While he fought against him, another tried to grab Arata, but Hikari was quicker; in a matter of milliseconds, she had pulled the noble from his attack and pushed him towards Sasuke, attacking the shinobi in front of her. By the time she had done any real damage to the ninja, Kakashi was back, having already tied up his enemy.

"I'll take from here," Kakashi said with a light hearted smile as he quickly dealt with the two Shinobi and then threw them next to their comrade once he was done, all three tied up and leaning against a large cliff-like rock. "Now, I am only going to ask this once," Kakashi said as he held his kunai in a threatening manner. "Who are you, why did you attack us, and who do you work for?"

"Get Arata behind us," Hikari said as she looked over her shoulder at Sasuke. He nodded and told the man to back up and stand near Naruto, in case another tried to save his comrades.

"We only work for ourselves," the man who seemed to be their leader said as his eyes darted for Arata; something about their nervousness made Hikari raise her brow. She peeked over her shoulder and saw that Arata looked very angry. His demeanor had completely changed; he was no longer his charming 'noble-man' façade, but more of what she was used to seeing when she was a child. She saw a vicious shinobi behind her.

_"These are his men, of course,"_ Hikari thought as she pursed her lips. _"Arata was sent here to bring me back home! That must be it! If he could get these guys to attack and ambush our squad, he could drag me off while I am weak. But why end my mission early? Is it because father knows that I feel some kind of hesitation? Why else would he risk exposing me by bringing Arata here?" _

Hikari knew it that moment that she had to do anything to make sure Arata failed to capture her and to make sure that Kakashi trusted her. If Arata said something that could potentially expose her, she needed to make sure Kakashi would think Arata was some crazy shinobi rather than think of her as the enemy.

"That was the wrong answer," Kakashi said ominously.

Hikari watched as one of the shinobi nudged his foot towards a bump in the ground. As she took a closer look, she realised that the dirt was turned there, like it had recently been dug up. Hikari's eyes widened as she rushed forwards, intending to knock him out of the way.

"Kakashi!" she began to yell, but it was too late, the bomb had already exploded and the rocks had already begun to fall.

Hikari watched as Kakashi instinctively jumped out of the way when he heard the explosion and then looked up, absolutely horror-struck, as she realised she was directly in the area of impact. Everything seemed to slow down as she swallowed and one of the shinobi grinned at her, knowing they were both going to die. She tried to move, but it was no use, her fear had paralyzed her.

Time sped up again for her when someone forcibly yanked on the back of her shirt and jumped back, throwing her behind him. She groaned in pain as she rolled across the solid ground, small rocks jabbing into her stomach, ribs, and back as she went. She looked up to see who had saved her and watched as Sasuke jammed his hands in his pockets, looking down at her with an expression that told her he thought she was stupid.

"Thanks…" she muttered as she slowly attempted to get up, ignoring the bruises that were beginning to form from her impact with the ground. "You saved me."

Kakashi landed beside Hikari and helped her get on her feet, grasping her hand firmly in his.

"It was admirable for you to try and save me," he said to Hikari with a light-hearted smile, "but you are a little naïve. A bomb like that would have never killed me, but none the less, you tried to save my life."

Hikari nodded at him, a little shaken.

"I'm sorry, I saw the bomb and acted before my brain really had time to think about it," Hikari said sheepishly. "I just saw that you were in danger…"

Kakashi patted her on the back and then turned to Arata, making sure he was alright. Hikari looked towards where the bomb had been and saw that it was almost covered completely by the rocks, the area the shinobi had been in general completely engulfed. She knew that they couldn't sustain that much damage unless they were more than human, and figured they were dead. However, she found herself not caring; her mind was focusing on a different result of the explosion. Hikari smiled to herself when she fully realised what she had done; to Kakashi, who was suspicious of her, the actions she took looked like an unnecessary act to save his life though it would have been more beneficial to her if he died.

_"Maybe, just maybe he might trust me a little more,"_ Hikari thought as she smiled. _"I just risked my life to save his…that has to count as something!" _

Hikari looked towards Sasuke and did not lower her smile.

"Thanks!" she said again as she lightly punched his shoulder. "You saved my life."

"Try not to be such an idiot next time…"

…

"Ok, it's time to chow down!" Naruto yelled as he stabbed his chopsticks into the meat from the sizzling grill. Hikari sighed and drummed her fingers on the table and tapped her foot impatiently. She brought a small piece of meat to her lips and she watched Arata's every move. His chestnut hair was woven into a braid and swept down his back, while his brown eyes flicked around the room, observing everyone in the proximity. Hikari studied his tanned face with a mental groan. She hated feeling trapped, it was like she couldn't breathe.

Sasuke acted normally, he sat quietly as he ate his food, not giving anyone in particular any attention. Though he put up this façade, he was secretly keeping an eye on the man that had yet to give his full-name to anyone. As if she was reading his thoughts, Hikari spoke.

"So, what's your full name?" she asked in a bored tone. "You said it was Arata earlier."

"June Arata," he said with a pleasant smile. "June being the family name."

_"He's lying,"_ Hikari thought bitterly. _"Arata is his family name, and Kyosuke is his first name…" _Hikari forced more food into her mouth. _"How are we going to make him act like a ninja?" _

…

"Hikari," Sasuke spoke up from the inn's lobby. Not only Hikari, but the rest of the group looked at him as well. "Let's have a sparring match out back in the woods; it's a good opportunity for training and it's still pretty early."

"Sure," Hikari said catching his hint; he wanted to plan.

"Since when have you two been sparring buddies?" Kakashi asked sceptically. "I thought you two couldn't stand each other."

"Eh, it's more of a love-hate relationship," Hikari said with a shrug. "Some days we get along, others we hate each other; it's just the way we are. Now if you don't mind, I want to go spar."

"Hey, I want to come too!" Naruto piped up. Hikari shot a glance for Sasuke and he spoke up.

"Sparring, as in, one on one, loser," Sasuke said in his 'I'm-better-than-you' tone and a sly smirk gracing his lips; he was taunting Naruto. Hikari wanted to face-palm, Sasuke was making it sound as if they were going to do something dirty.

"I'll spar against you tomorrow night, okay Naruto?" Hikari asked with a gentle smile.

"Uh…okay then," Naruto said with confusion in his eyes.

"We'll be back."

…

"You didn't have to make it sound like we were going to go have sex in the bushes," Hikari said with a glare when they arrived in the clearing.

"I'd rather Arata thinking we're doing something inappropriate than him being onto our true plans," Sasuke said tartly. Hikari let out a quiet frustrated sigh.

"You're so stubborn."

"As are you," Sasuke replied as he slumped into a sitting position against and tree. "Come over here, let's start making plans; you _are_ a strategist, after all…"

"Shut up," Hikari snapped as she sat next to him and in a huff reached over to the left side of her and grabbed a stick to draw in the dirt with. As Hikari picked up the stick, a quick movement in the tree's caught her attention. She reacted like she had seen nothing; she continued moving and then started to draw. After a moment she quickly grabbed a kunai and then chucked it towards where the movement had come from. She was afraid that while the three shinobi who had attacked her earlier had died from their own explosion, more had come to seek revenge.

"So you saw it too?" Sasuke asked as he stood.

Hikari followed him as they walked into the bushes and saw the kunai burrowed into a tree's trunk, but no sign of anyone being caught.

"Look at this," Sasuke said pointing down.

Hikari did as he said and saw two pairs of foot prints in the ground. Hikari's panic surged when she thought of the possibility that her father had sent more men to watch her. With thoughts like that, she wasn't sure she'd be able to sleep.

"I think they're gone now," she breathed as she looked around. "Probably just some teens being stupid…"

Sasuke looked at her sceptically.

"Are you ok?" he asked quietly as he watched her eyes swim in endless fear. Hikari closed them and shook her head, snapping out of her trance.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Hikari walked towards the dirt drawing and started again. "How do you want to draw him out?"

"I want you to get so angry at me you would throw something…something sharp…" he said quietly.

"You want me to chuck a kunai at you?" Hikari asked as if he was an idiot.

"I'll duck, and when I do, it will be aimed for Arata; hopefully, he'll turn and try to deflect or catch it."

"I guess that's pretty harmless, we just have to make sure we do it when Kakashi isn't watching us…he'll catch it…" Hikari said dully. "And if that happens, I'll get in a lot of shit…"

"Don't worry," Sasuke said with a small smirk. "I'll make sure I really get under your skin."

"Just the thought of you trying to annoy me is annoying…" Hikari said as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Ok, now that we're done this little plan, I'm going to the inn…" Hikari stood, and started to walk, but Sasuke put his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"Why do you care about my mental wellbeing?" she spat as she turned towards him. Sasuke gained a cocky smirk.

"Well, I have to make sure you're aim will be right tomorrow…"

The combination of his ego and the thought that there was shinobi lurking about made Hikari go off the deep end; she just wanted to go inside and get away from _everything_.

"Shut up!" Hikari demanded as she pushed him. "Your ego is so unbearable!"

"You shouldn't be so quick to temper."

"Shut up!" Hikari demanded as she threw a punch at him, which he grabbed with his hand. The fact that he caught her attack made her angrier. She let out a growl and threw her other fist at him, which he grabbed. Hikari swung her leg up, and he let go of her arm to block her kick and then used his upper strength to throw Hikari away from him. Hikari landed on her feet, skidding backwards. She glared as she grabbed a kunai and ran at him; aiming it at his throat. He blocked with his own and sent her arm upwards, which she used to her advantage to cut open his cheek. Sasuke threw his arm forwards in a punch, hitting Hikari in the gut and sending her flying back again. Hikari's back hit the tree behind her and she slumped to the bottom. She started to cough and splutter blood which made her realise that she had drove her own kunai into her mid-torso from the force of the impact.

"Fuck," she said with a growl as she yanked out the knife and threw it to her side. "Just fucking great!"

Sasuke sighed as he walked up to her and offered her a hand.

"We should get you inside so your wound can get bandaged…"

"There's no need," Hikari said with a frown. "My blood isn't the same as yours…" Sasuke looked down at her curiously when she lifted a glowing hand to her wound. The blood started to draw back until it was inside of her body, and then the wound stitched closed.

She wished there was some way she didn't have to show him her abilities, but she was not going to risk a wound like that festering in the middle of the woods; she found herself faced with little choice. She would just tell it to him straight and hoped that it made him trust her a little more; the more trust she had, the better. She had to find the fox-boy.

"You're a medical ninja?" he asked. "Where did you even learn that?"

"I'm not a medical ninja…" she said with a pout. "It's a Kekki-Genkai, my blood has certain…abilities…"

"Abilities?" he asked with a curious glance towards the area that the wound had been.

"Yes, with chakra, I can control my blood. I can force it into another's body and drown them, or I could heal problems with it. My blood has high levels of antibodies and blood cells that repair. With a little chakra, I can speed up the process and reverse the effects of a cut…" Hikari coughed as she tried her best not to respond to the itching sensation her Jutsu had caused and then started to talk again. "It's not medical Ninjutsu, but more of a cheap rip-off. In all truths, this technique is much better flesh wounds and not anything that ails the inner body. For example, a disease would not be cured so easily…it's more temporary."

"Temporarily?" Sasuke asked with a sigh. "So it's not a cure?"

"No, it will just fight off the disease, it can't completely get rid of it, but if it's a fatal disease, it's definitely a good means of extending one's life for a little while until they can find a cure…"

"How long does it last?" Sasuke asked as he sat down next to her.

"Well, say I give you a small vial's worth of my blood and you inject it into your body, or drink it, it should suffice for two weeks of better health. So if you're fatally ill, you have doses every two weeks, depending on the person, of course."

"Why not just take a lot at once?"

"Well, you could kill the host," Hikari said with a frown, "or yourself. My blood would poison you. That which cures given at super high doses will kill…"

"Wait a minute," Sasuke said sceptically. "I thought you were an orphan with no experience as a shinobi? That's a shinobi blood-line."

"My mother's side of the family," Hikari said as she pulled her knees to her chest. "I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want to become a walking vendor for something that might as well be a placebo effect in the long run. Some people expected that I may have the Kekki-Genkai because my last name is quite a famous Shinobi-surname, but I just pretended to be a non-inheritor for personal reasons. I'm not a cure, I'm a temporary fix. I didn't want to give people hope, so I kept it to myself." Hikari sighed. "I know we don't get along well, but please swear to me that you won't tell a soul? Please keep this to yourself, because people will seek me out to help their family or friends and a lot of the time I can't actually help…it really upsets people."

"I won't say anything," Sasuke said quietly. "I injured you and forced you to use it, it's only fair that I don't say anything to anyone…"

Hikari let out a sigh of relief and then a smile.

"Thank you, Sasuke," she said as she reached up to him and lightly kissed his forehead. "In my clan, a kiss on the forehead represents that I am extremely thankful; so, you know that I will cherish that promise."

Sasuke nodded with a little bit of a frown on his face because she had touched him without his permission; but when he thought about it, she didn't mean anything romantic by her actions, it was just a custom he was unfamiliar with. He let it go, just this once, figuring that she really didn't want anyone to know if she showed him such extreme gratitude for keeping her secret. She thanked him again and then walked back to the inn trailing behind him. Neither Hikari nor Sasuke noticed the two men step out from the bushed and one of them pick up the blood covered Kunai.

"What an interesting girl, wouldn't you say so master Zetsu!?" He had an orange mask on his face that swirled. There was only one hole for his eye.

_"Are you thinking she's going to become a pawn, Madara?" _Zetsu asked with a smirk lingering on the darker half of his face. "That's not very nice…" his other half piped up.

"Oh, she is going to be quiet the interesting piece," the man named Madara said. His voice drastically changed from happy, high-pitched, and chipper to low, demonic, and deadly serious. "With her, I can play quite the interesting game with a certain Uchiha…"

_"Itachi?"_ the darker half of Zetsu replied. Madara let out a small chuckle.

"It seems as if you know me a little too well, Zetsu. She will be the perfect replacement for Shiori."

_"Why's that?"_

"Because Itachi just killed her."


	13. Chapter X

_**Chapter X:**_

"Sasuke, you'd better shut up," Hikari snapped as her hand clenched into a fist. Like Sasuke had promised, he had gotten her angry; now all she had to do was throw a kunai.

"Make me," he said smoothly. "That is, if you can."

Hikari felt real anger surge and she briefly wondered if he was having a little too much fun torturing her. Nevertheless, she grabbed a kunai out her ninja pouch and chucked at him. Sasuke smirked as he quickly jumped out of the way and watched the kunai whiz past him and towards Arata. Hikari watched the kunai as if time had slowed, impatiently waiting for Arata's reaction. Hikari couldn't help but stand with her mouth held agape when, in the blink of an eye, Arata had turned around and caught the knife in midair.

"You guys should be more careful with these," he said in a scolding tone. "They're not toys. You're lucky I have trained a little to defend myself or I would have been in some trouble there," Sasuke frowned as he watched Arata walk to Hikari and gently place the knife in her hands. "Try not to let the punk get to you, okay?"

Hikari could do nothing but stare at Arata, while Sasuke glared in frustration.

"What were you two thinking?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow. "You could have killed our assignment." Kakashi sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Are you two are incapable of acting like mature shinobi? I guess there is only one way to solve this, seeing how nothing I say gets through to the two of you."

…

Hikari's eyebrow twitched when she looked down at the rope tying her and Sasuke's wrists together.

"Great plan, genius," she muttered harshly.

"I'm not any happier about this than you are," he replied in a snarled whisper. "Just shut up."

"Oh, now you want me to shut up? Before you wanted me to argue and then _chuck_ a kunai at you. Your plan _failed_ if you hadn't noticed yet," Hikari hissed. "Just who do you think you are? We're not following your stupid ideas anymore! Ugh, we are playing by my rules now." Sasuke rolled his eyes as he tried to cross his arms but realised it wasn't going to work when he felt Hikari's arm drag behind his. "Hey, don't yank on my arm!"

"Shut up," Sasuke said as he rolled his eyes. "As if I would even want your arm anyways."

Hikari let out a frustrated yell she yanked on her arm, wildly trying to pull her wrist from the knot, only to find it wouldn't even budge.

"Do you honestly think I would make it that easy?" Kakashi asked in a smug tone. "My dear Hikari, you have another thing coming."

Hikari let out an angry shriek as she started to yank on her hand furiously again, only this time, Sasuke began to glare maliciously at her.

"Now who is yanking on whose wrist?"

Hikari heard Naruto giggling to himself and abruptly turned to him, pure hatred for her situation written upon her expression; he could tell that some of her will to destroy the rope would pass over to him if she were able to get close to the poor blond.

"What are you laughing at, pipsqueak? You're next on my hit-list."

Naruto's face fell at the conformation to his suspicions as he slowly backed away from her.

"I wouldn't provoke Hikari right now, Naruto," Kakashi said in a light tone. "She is highly aggravated."

"Wait a minute!" Hikari yelled to Kakashi. "How are we supposed to go to the bathroom!?"

Kakashi turned towards Hikari and Sasuke with a light-hearted smile.

"Well, I guess you're going to have to learn how to do that together too."Hikari clutched her hand into a fist and then slammed it into Sasuke's head.

"This is entirely your fault!"

…

"Ok," Hikari whispered as she looked around the campfire. "Everyone's asleep, let's go…"

Sasuke nodded as he got up and walked towards the forest's edge with Hikari trailing behind him.

"Is it just me, or does everything in this landscape look the same? When I left the village, the terrain turned different very fast, but we went in the completely different direction." She stated once they had emerged in a clearing far from the camp.

"I've only left the village once before this," Sasuke muttered. "Yes, the paths and the roads do look very similar to the roads that lead to Mizu No Kuni."

"But I feel like we've turned around or something," Hikari said as she looked at the leaves connected to their tree's branches with a frown. She shook her head and then reached into her kunai holder, bringing out a blade from within and aiming it for the rope.

"It won't work." Hikari looked up at Sasuke with a raised brow. "Do you honestly think Kakashi wouldn't have infused his chakra into it? It's going to be impossible to cut it."

Truthfully, Hikari knew the solution to that problem, cut it with chakra stronger than the chakra inside, but that was advanced knowledge and she had already given too much information to Sasuke. She sighed as she tried to cut the rope anyways, and like Sasuke mentioned, she couldn't. Next she brought her free hand to it and started to try and tug on the knot.

"It's tied in a way that only someone with _two _hands can untie it…"

"Fuck…" Hikari pouted. "I don't want to have to go pee with you around. You will be able to see _everything_!"

"And you think I do?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.

"Yes!" she said with a glare.

"You actually think I'm interested in you that way," he asked with narrowed eyes. "How vain of you. It's usually the other way around."

"I don't actually think that," Hikari responded with exasperation as she planted her free hand on her hip. "I am just really frustrated with this whole thing! Never in my life have I been so publically humiliated. This is entirely your fault, Uchiha. I am going to remember this."

The clearing became silent as the two Genin glared at each other.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I just get so worked up; I say things I don't mean…" Hikari dropped her eyes to the forest floor and held her head with shame. "I guess I am not that great of a Kunoichi after all…I can't even keep my temper in check. It was wrong of me to blame this whole thing on you. Again, I apologise."

Sasuke questioned her sincerity and used his free hand to jerk her chin up towards him so that he could look her in the eye; he hoped that he may be able tell if she was trying to pull his leg in some way. He expected an adverse reaction to the sudden contact, like maybe slapping his hand away, but he hadn't thought that she would flinch. He immediately dropped his hand to his side, wondering on the inside why she had reacted like he was about to strike her. After a moment Sasuke sighed and then looked away from her down-casted eyes.

"Sasuke…" she said quietly as she looked up again. "I know all of the girls annoy you with their stupid affections, but I want to tell you that I think you're a really great Genin. Even though your plan didn't work, you have the instinct to know when you're with an enemy, and I admire that ability."

Sasuke didn't really know how to respond to her, he wasn't exactly one for words. He tried to think on what he thought of Hikari, but he didn't want to admit that he thought she was pretty tough for a girl. His eyes wondered to the rope that connected their wrists and he wondered if Kakashi was trying to teach them something rather than just punishing them.

"When you fought Sakura…y-…you impressed me," Sasuke said as he looked away from her, not wanting to read too much into the compliment.

"Sasuke…it was only Sakura," Hikari said with a raised brow. "It wasn't anything that amazing."

"Just take the compliment," he said gruffly.

"Why? Is it hard to express your thoughts and feelings?" Hikari asked as she stuck out her tongue.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and then sighed.

"You are new at this. Sure you have had to brawl on the streets and learn to live for yourself, but being a Shinobi is a different life, and you have adapted," he said as he stuffed his free hand in his pocket. "That's a shinobi quality."

"Adaptation…" Hikari said with a smile. _"That's what I have been always good at…maybe you're more perceptive than you look, Uchiha." _

Hikari repeated the word to herself and then looked down at the rope that was digging into her skin. She bit her lip as she looked back up at Sasuke.

"I think I know how to get rid of it," she said quietly as she grabbed his free hand and held it up in front of him. "You said it had to be untied by someone with two hands…we have two hands if we work together. That's what I think Kakashi intended, anyways."

Hikari let go of his hand as Sasuke nodded.

"That makes a lot of sense considering the test he put my team through," Sasuke said as he brought his hand to the knot. He looked up at her and she nodded, bringing her hand to it too.

After about ten minutes they finally figured out how to untie the rope, despite how difficult it was to coordinate what to do with hands belonging to two different people. Hikari smirked when it dropped to the ground and then rubbed her freed wrist. She frowned at the red marks imprinted into her skin where the rope had burned and cut into her. Hikari turned when she heard clapping and then almost had a heart attack when she saw Kakashi perched in a tree.

"H-How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see you figure out how to get the rope untied, why?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.

"Oh, no reason," Hikari said with a nervous laugh. "I just embarrassed myself a few minutes before and it was bad enough to have him see it." Sasuke looked at Hikari with a raised brow and then shook his head.

"It wasn't that bad," he said with a smirk. Hikari turned her head and glared at him.

"Shut up, Sasuke."

"Do I have to tie you two together, again?" Kakashi asked with a sigh. "And this time I will make it so you can't get out."

"No, no tying necessary," Hikari said with a bright smile as she held both of her hands in the air, as if surrendering. "Other than watching us struggle with life, why are you here?"

"I'm here about what happened earlier with Arata," Kakashi said with a sigh as he swung down from the tree and landed in front of Sasuke and Hikari. "I am surprised you two caught onto him so fast, however, I shouldn't expect any less from the two of you. Naruto, however, he's clueless and it's probably better that way…"

"Wait, you know?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I know," Kakashi said as if Sasuke was an idiot. "The guy's in our bingo book. Our real mission is to take him back to the leaf while we convince him he's going towards the Sound. You two can't just try something dangerous like that…you might blow the entire mission."

"Isn't he going to realise where he is?" Hikari asked sceptically.

"Not until we get closer to the leaf. I turned us around onto another road while I was chatting with him," Kakashi said while he put his hand on the back of his neck. "He was pretty cautious though, so I had to use a Genjutsu to make him think he is going the right way. We have an ambush squad waiting a mile from the village."

"Why not just fight him?" Sasuke asked as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Arata is dangerous," Kakashi said simply, "an S-ranked Shinobi. He's done a variety of crimes against the Leaf and other countries, but is probably well known for selling himself as a body guard. He has even been known to guard the Hebiko."

"Hebiko?" Sasuke asked as he looked towards Hikari.

"Never heard of them," she replied back with a shrug.

"The Hebiko is a Shinobi that is said to be the powerful Shinobi from a small village in the Sound," Kakashi said as he crossed his arms. "Not a man to take lightly."

"That's why they want to capture Arata, to get information on this Shinobi," Sasuke said as he nodded.

"Exactly," Kakashi said with a closed-eyed smile. "I am proud of you two for catching on and being able to pick out your enemies. If anything goes wrong I want you to help me secure the enemy, ok?"

Hikari smiled as she nodded.

"With the three of us, and Naruto if he catches on, that should be no issue," Sasuke said quietly, making Hikari nod again in agreement.

"I'm glad you think so…" Kakashi smirked as he turned around and faced the direction of the camp. "Make sure to be quiet when you come back and don't kill each other in the meantime."

"I'm not a hundred percent positive that I can promise that," Hikari said with a chuckle. Kakashi held up the rope that had previously been knotted around her arm and dangled it in her face.

"Just remember," Kakashi said with a devilish smile, "I will tie you together for a week."

"You know what? I think I can promise that…"


	14. Chapter XI

_**Chapter XI:**_

Hikari sighed as she trailed behind her squad, deep in thought.

_"I cannot believe I have let that jerk get close to me and know about my Kekki Genkai…" _Hikari looked towards Sasuke with uncertain eyes.

Sasuke was looking into the sky, as they walked, with a particularly pained expression on his face. It was as if he was remembering some past terror. Hikari wanted to kick herself when she felt as if she should say something or ask him what was wrong; she was not his friend.

_"I can't even convince myself that I didn't want to tell him those things; having someone to talk to and to confide in about my abilities made me feel really relieved. I don't know what's going through my head…I just feel like I need someone here that I can trust; a friend." _Hikari looked towards Kakashi and then Sasuke again. _"But, I'm doing this because I was told to fool everyone, right? I am trying to make Sasuke my friend because I need to find out who the fox boy is…or is this different?"_ Hikari frowned and then wrapped her arms around her stomach, as if to hold herself. _"I can't even differentiate between my life and the Konoha shinobi I have created. Is it her who has feelings for Sasuke, or me?" _

Hikari was on the verge of weeping, she could feel the tears stinging as they surfaced in her eyes. The situation she had stupidly placed herself in was incredible stressful and all of this sudden guilt and uncertainty had hit her out of nowhere. Her inner self was wracked with chaotic thoughts and feelings; she wasn't sure who she was. Hikari took in shaky breaths as she looked around at the group and realised she had never _really_ met any of them; her alter-ego had. She also came to the realization that it was her alter-ago who had been running her life; Sasuke wasn't really her friend, nor was Naruto, Sakura, Sora, or Hoshi…they were Hikari the orphan's friends.

_"Hikari the orphan does not exist. You are Hikari Koizumi, you don't care about anyone here, got it?"_ she told herself harshly. _"You are going to learn who the fox-boy is and then exterminate him before you go home and then resume your training with your father. You are destined to be the leader of a __**shinobi**__ village. That is greater than anything this rat-hole of a city can offer me! I am not here to make friends with fleas; I am here to crush them."_

Hikari forced herself to take long and deep breaths. As she tried to calm herself, she subconsciously moved into step next to Sasuke; his presence helped her sort through the mess that was her emotions because she was forced to keep up her facade around him. She would not slip, even in her state if she was standing right next to the enemy; Sasuke was her enemy, not her friend. If she had to crush him to survive, she'd do it, not matter what the emotional costs.

"Are you ok?" Sasuke muttered as he looked at her with a raised brow. "You're crying."

Hikari looked up at him as she lifted a shaking hand to her cheek and touched the wetness that was there; she had never seen such astounding evidence that showed she was failing. What kind of kunoichi couldn't even hold in her tears? She thought that could hold everything in when she was next to him, she thought she wouldn't break, but even with it required the most urgency, she was failing. She was a failure and her father was right to question her.

"Hikari?" She blinked as she looked at him and then quickly brought the back of her fingerless gloved-hand to her eyes and wiped at the tears.

"I'm fine," she whispered harshly after she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Kakashi, I need to break."

Before Kakashi could turn around she had run into the forest. Kakashi turned to Sasuke with a questioning glance.

"What did you say to her? I've never seen Hikari cry!" Naruto yelled loudly. Sasuke looked towards the forest and stuck his hands in his pockets as he followed the path that Hikari had taken to bolt into the woods. "Sasuke, you better apologize!" Naruto yelled with a frown.

…

When Sasuke caught up to Hikari, she was slumped against and tree and hysterically crying.

"Hikari," he said quietly. "What's the matter with you?"

She looked up at him with a loss of words.

"I don't know," she said with a sob. "I am so confused; I can't hold onto myself." Sasuke sighed and then he walked towards her; kneeling in front of her. Hikari looked up at him. "I feel so weak. How am I supposed to achieve my goals when I can't even hold in my tears? I am never going to succeed at this rate!"

Sasuke sighed as he went to put his hand firmly on her shoulder, annoyed on the inside that he was the one who had to give her some kind of pep-talk; he was an Uchiha, he wasn't any good with words. He should have sent Naruto or Kakashi after her, but a part of him wanted to know why she was freaking out. However, as soon as he his hand drew near her, she flinched, pressing her back into the tree she was leaning against, as if to distance herself.

"Why do you do that?" he asked as his hand faltered. "Why do you cower like that?"

"I…" she paused as she flinched when the memory explaining the very well-hidden habit arose. She started to cry again and Sasuke frowned.

"Just breathe," he told her quietly, "just breath and it will disappear."

"H-How do you know?" she snapped quietly as she looked at him through her tears. "You know absolutely nothing about me!"

"You're not he only one who has had a troubling past," he said quietly as he looked at her pointedly. "Just shut up and breathe."

After a moment of taking in deep breaths and letting tears fall, she had regained herself enough to speak.

"I…let's just say my father wasn't happy with me last time I disobeyed him…" she trailed off in order to allow a sob escape from her lips. Hikari took in another large breath before starting again. "I am afraid that even when I am as far away as possible from him, he'll punish me for my insolence."

"Your father's dead," Sasuke said quietly. "You don't have to be afraid."

"But he haunts my sleep and my memories. He isn't dead if I still vividly remember this fear; if I still can feel the aches, pains, and bruises that took weeks to heal." Hikari took in a rushed breath. "I'm afraid of the person I will become because of him…"

"I understand how you feel," Sasuke said quietly. "It's like a looming shadow, isn't it? If you're not careful the shadow will control the person you become and the things you do."

"What if something I did hurt you?" she asked quietly as she lowered her hollow eyes to the ground; something about how empty they looked alarmed Sasuke, it was as if the slate had been wiped clean and he was staring at a blank person. "What if I do something to you or Kakashi?"

"Hikari," he said sternly in a curt tone. "Your past will only control you if you let it. You will only hurt your friends if you let them get hurt. Defy your legacy; don't do what he wants you to do. If you have to become the wrong type of person, don't do it the way he tells you to. If you have to separate yourself to protect the people you worry about, then at least you'd do it knowing that you're doing the right thing."

Hikari sighed as she looked up into his eyes.

"What happens when I do something that everyone will hate me for?" she whispered.

"Even I can see that's something you wouldn't do," he assured her with a roll of his eyes.

Hikari frowned, it was like she had been slapped across the face; he didn't know her at all. Despite the fact that she wanted to cry again, she refused, instead she closed her eyes as she suppressed all of her negative thoughts and feelings. After she was sure she had locked it all away, she got up onto her feet. Sasuke stood with her and then stuffed his hands in his pockets as if nothing had happened.

"If you're afraid of what you are, the only thing you can do is become stronger than your fears…" Hikari looked up at him. "I know you're behind in training, but when we get back, I could help you train…teach you how to defy him."

Without even thinking about what she was doing or saying, she nodded and said, "I'd like that…"

…

"Are we all better?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow. Hikari let a smile shine through her misery.

"I'm fine," she said happily. "Sasuke just called me something rude and it upset me."

"Do I need to tie you two together, again?" Kakashi asked with a sigh. "I thought we were past this…"

"No, we're fine now," she said with a smile. "He apologised."

Kakashi nodded and then started to walk forwards again, following after Arata who had already started walking.

Hikari was in a foul mood and wanted nothing more than to just get her mission over with. However, but a problem still stood in her way, one she had to solve quickly; Arata was being taken to Konoha.

_"If they interrogate him it could give away my position," _she thought grimly. _"So, now I have to figure out how to dispose of him before we get to Konoha. I have approximately twenty hours. I have to strike tonight if I am going to succeed."_ Hikari frowned as she glanced for the man she had known since she was a small child._ "How many people do I have to murder in cold blood before all of this is over? I want to go home…" _Hikari looked towards the other members of the group with saddened eyes._ "I just hope they never get in my way…I don't want to make them hate me; I just want to disappear before this gets any deeper."_

…

_"My dearest Hikari," the auburn-haired woman said to her with a gentle smile, "all the love I possess is for you." _

"Is that true, mother?" the small girl asked with weary eyes. "Don't you love your own mom or dad? What about sisters or brothers?"

"I have not loved anyone but you for a long time," she said as she tucked the young girl's ebony coloured hair behind her ears.

"What about my father, don't you love him?"

When she asked, her mother froze and took a moment to reply.

"What's important is that he loves you," she said after she had regained herself…after she had thought of something to say to her young and naïve daughter.

"And he loves you," Hikari said with a happy smile. "We're a family, right?"

Her smile faltered as she gently patted the girl's head.

"It is time for you to train, Hikari."

Her mother's head rose to look at the man who had called her daughter's name; Hikari's father.

"She only just sat down," Hikari's mother said with a frown. "She should at least eat. She can train later…she's only four."

"She can eat once she had finished her daily training, Shizuka," her father said as he walked towards Hikari. "Do you care to speak out against me again? I am the one who decides what is right for her."

"You decide what is right for you," her mother's tongue lashed her words like a whip. "You don't know how to raise a child."

Hikari's father looked down at her with unwavering eyes that told her that she had to come; that she didn't have a choice. She stood and followed him, looking over her shoulder for one last glance at her mother who sat in front of the still pond-water. In its reflection, she saw her father and herself walking further and further away from Shizuka.

…

Hikari awoke with a start as she took in deep breaths to calm herself. She blinked in confusion for a long moment; she hadn't thought of her mother in a long time and didn't understanding why she was now. She looked at her hands with a frown.

_"Have I become like him?"_ Hikari closed her eyes._ "Willing to take the life of innocents for my own gain?"_

Pushing away her thoughts, Hikari looked around the camp and saw that everybody, save for one, was asleep. Hikari looked at Arata's upturned blanket for a long while before she sighed and stood; letting her own blanket fall to its counterpart. Hikari slipped into her shinobi gear, the most important being her shoes, and then silently crept away from the camp. This would be quick and clean, no one would know what happened and no one would suspect her. Upon arriving on the section of the road Arata stood on, she raised her brow.

"Hikari Koizumi," he said quietly as she approached. "You have come to deal with me, have you not?" Hikari glared as she cautiously stepped forwards. "How was your dream?"

"My dream?" Hikari asked bitterly.

"Didn't you know?" he asked as he turned to face her. "I was appointed as your guardian to stop your nightmares. I was the one who always made you have pleasant dreams after you witnessed the atrocities you instigated on your father's command and your mother was always so _grateful_." Hikari felt rage boil her blood when a small smirk graced his lips. "What? Have you always thought your mother and father were a match made in heaven?" he asked with a chuckle. "They were so twisted together that not even the term 'mistress' fits what your mother was to him. They used each other and you were born from that."

"Shut up!" Hikari snarled with a glare. "You're going to die so hold your tongue."

"And how will you explain that to your 'team'?" he asked with a malicious laugh. "You're the epitome of fake; pretending to be what you're not and sneaking around with everyone who has stupidly put their faith into you! You're the type of person that makes me sick and your mother would be physically ill if she knew you today too; you're an abomination of her legacy!"

"I am what I am; not one can change that," Hikari hissed. "Mother or no mother, I would be the way I am no matter what because I couldn't get rid of my father! I am going to take your life, so you might as well be silent before I decide to do it in a really painful way," Hikari hissed as she reached down to her Kunai holder and grabbed a blade. She lifted up her arm and quickly made a slice, allowing the blood to ooze over and drip the ground. Arata's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't-" he started, but his voice failed him before he could finish his sentence.

"Oh, but I would," she said with a small smirk. "You see, it's the quickest and one of the most undetectable ways I could kill you. I am going to make it look like you have killed yourself and I will even leave a note you're going to write."

"You can't make me do anything!" he said with a fierce growl. She smiled.

"You have underestimated me, Arata. I am ten times the kunoichi my mother was…"

As Hikari lifted her arm the blood rushed towards Arata at an incredible speed. Arata let out a yell as it crawled up his body and then went through his mouth. Arata fell to the ground, holding his head and trying to let out a scream, though no sound came from his parted lips. The blood forced its way into him, he could feel it oozing, dripping, and then rushing.

"I control you now," Hikari said with a smile. She reached into her ninja pouch and pulled a piece of paper from within, holding it up in front of him. "I sent my blood to your brain and now my chakra is now controlling your every move. You're finished."

She walked over to him, taking her time, and set the paper in front of him. When he saw the unwavering flicker of her eyes, he whimpered as he reached into his clothing and pulled a dagger from within. He brought it to his wrist and made a slash; not having any control over the application of force he used, its depth was fatal. He tried to scream, but it was as if something was disconnecting his vocal cords, he couldn't even make grunting noises. Arata tried to scream again when he shoved his finger into the wound and coated it with his blood. Arata brought his shaky hand to the paper and wrote a note expressing his hate of the world; though these words were Hikari's. He swallowed as he managed to look up at her. Hikari stood over him with a smirk.

"This is the last time you will ever gaze upon me or my family," she said with a snarl. "I wonder just how _grateful_ my mother will be of your services now."

Arata took in a sharp breath as he brought the Kunai to his throat and made a deep slash; letting the blood spill and then collapsing under his own weight. Blood pooled around him, soaking his clothes and the earth beneath him, staining everything crimson.

Hikari let out a shaky breath as she reached to her wounded arm and made her chakra envelope her hand. All the blood she had lost while killing Arata left his body as she drew it back to her own and then healed her wound. Nothing was left behind, her skin was clean and unmarked. No one would know what she did except herself, but somehow, that was enough for her. In the future, when she would be alone, she knew this was going to haunt her.

Hikari put her kunai away and took in a breath. She contorted her facial expression until it looked frightened and then she turned around and began to rush back to the camp. Before arriving she slowed to a stop in the forest and looked over her shoulder. Her heart felt like it had turned to acid and tears began to leak from her eyes. She took a moment to cry for her good memories with the man she had just murdered; she had never truly felt like a villain before, because she had never killed out of rage until now.

…

"Kakashi! Kakashi!" Hikari yelled as she ran into the camp. The Jounin, along with everyone else, awoke with a jolt. Kakashi looked towards her with a frown. "It's Arata, I woke up and he wasn't here! I went looking for him and I found him dead!" Kakashi's eye widened for a moment before he stood and slipped on his own ninja gear.

"Take me to him." Hikari nodded as she turned around and started to run again; this time with Kakashi and the rest of the team following behind her.

…

"Suicide?" Kakashi asked himself. "And this note he left says he knew where we were taking him…" Kakashi sighed as he read over the note again that he had picked up next to Arata's cold body. "You'd think a criminal shinobi wouldn't want to die. If he could sneak off like he did, why didn't he just run for it?" Hikari walked up to Kakashi and held her hand out.

"May I see the note?" she asked with a frown as she glanced towards his body. Kakashi sighed as he handed it to Hikari. "It's written in blood isn't it?" Kakashi nodded as he closed his eyes. Hikari read over the note, she had written, and then let out a sigh. "It said he hated running, but he didn't want to be caught. I think he thought death was the only reasonable way out." Hikari let out a shaky breath. "To think, just because he knew we were taking him to Konoha, he slit his own throat…" Kakashi nodded as he grabbed the note.

"We had better contact Konoha and get the ANBU here. They're going to want to sniff around…"

"What are ANBU?" Naruto asked quietly as he looked at Arata sadly.

"They're elite ninja that are directly under the control of the Hokage," Hikari said with a frown. "They're like secret police…"

"Oh….how come I didn't know that Arata was bad?"

"We couldn't risk telling you if you couldn't figure it out," Kakashi said quietly. "He might have been listening for something like that…"

"Why get the ANBU involved in a suicide?" Sasuke asked with a small hint of confusion in his voice. "You don't think someone did this, do you?"

Kakashi sighed as he looked over Arata again. "Being a previous ANBU member, I know about wounds and how they kill; all of these wounds were, without a doubt, inflicted by him…"

"Then he killed himself, didn't he?" Hikari asked with a frown. "I don't understand the connection."

"Both wounds were cut by him. However, the one on his wrist that he created to write the note with is much deeper than it should be. I don't understand why he would cause himself so much unnecessary pain just to write a note. Also…"

Hikari inwardly frowned as she looked towards the body. _"I fucked up…"_

"To explain further, his cut is too deep. If you look closely, you can see bone; he should have died almost instantly because he lacerated an artery. Despite this, if you look up, he has also slit his throat to the point that he would have died almost instantly…" Kakashi looked at his group seriously. "I think someone killed him and tried to make it look like a suicide…" Kakashi turned towards Hikari and her heart rate accelerated. "Did you see anyone?" Hikari shook her head as she closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry; I didn't see anyone at all. I got here after he was already dead," she said quietly. "I should have got here sooner; I could have stopped this…"

"Don't blame yourself, Hikari," Kakashi said in a kind tone as he put his hand on her shoulder. "You did the right thing going after him, for all we know he could have run or perhaps enemies found him."

Hikari frowned as she looked back down towards the dead body at her feet and took in the irony of Kakashi's words.


	15. Chapter XII

_**Chapter XII:**_

Hikari yawned as the cold morning air made goose-bumps spread across her skin. She looked to her side to see if Sasuke was suffering the same tiredness from walking most of the night back to Konoha. If he was fatigued from the walking, he did not give away any sign that he was plagued by it, nor did he seem affected by the chilly air. Hikari looked back at the ground and tried to remain calm.

_"I am not going to freak out in front of him again,"_ Hikari hissed at herself. _"Sasuke is surely the most intuitive of his team; he doesn't need logic to know something is up with me. Sasuke and Kakashi must become my anchors, if I can hold up around them absolutely no one will suspect me. If I surround myself with my enemies, I won't let myself fail." _Hikari nodded to herself as she glanced at Sasuke again; he looked calm as they walked and absorbed in his own thoughts. Hikari briefly wondered if maybe he was thinking of what had occurred the night before, but then cast the thought out of her mind. _"Kakashi will never tell me information about the Kyuubi, but Sasuke might…I just need to make him trust me. I could always target Sakura, but I get the feeling she wouldn't know much. From what I can tell, it's a closely guarded secret. However, Sasuke is smart…he might think something is up with one of his former classmates while Sakura would just think that they're weird." _

Hikari sighed and then pushed the thoughts from her mind, giving herself room to breathe before she and Sasuke arrived back in Konoha. Kakashi had split the team up so that the crime-scene would not be compromised. Sasuke and Hikari were to return and alert the Hokage, while he and Naruto stayed with the body until the ANBU arrived. Kakashi had given her directions and a map and told them the roads to avoid taking due to the rouge ninja that usually used them to ambush travelers.

Hikari sighed as she looked around the road they walked on; she couldn't see into the forest around her even if she wanted to, the air was too thick with the morning fog. She just hoped that some stray vagabonds were not using the convenience of the weather to their advantage, just waiting to jump anyone who took a foolish wrong-turn.

"Hikari?" Sasuke asked as they walked.

Hikari turned her attention away from the forest line and to him with a small smile.

"Yes?"

"I was awake when you woke up last night…" he told her as he watched the road ahead of them. "You were gone for a half an hour, but it only took us ten minutes to reach the point in the road where Arata's body was found…" Sasuke looked her directly in the eyes.

"I had to look for him," Hikari said with a shrug. "I got a bit lost."

"We were taught how to pin-point someone's chakra to locate while you were in the Academy, and I remember you doing well," Sasuke said coolly. "It wouldn't have taken you that long to find him."

Hikari sighed as she closed her eyes. She knew if she lied to him, she would regret it, but then again, she wasn't sure exactly what he was asking.

"So, I took a little longer than normal, why is it bothering you?" she asked as she closed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Arata used his own knife to slit his wrists and throat, but from what Kakashi said, he did it too deep…like he had no _control_ over his body," Sasuke said as he stopped walking and turned to face her. Hikari stopped too, frowning.

_"He's onto me,"_ Hikari thought as she narrowed her eyes. _"What do I do? If he confronts me, what do I say? I can't just kill him, it would only get me in deeper trouble." _Hikari looked up at Sasuke and sighed. "What are you trying to say?"

"When you used your Kekki Genkai in front of me you said that you could force your blood into another person's body and drown them, but you also said you could heal them if you choose to do so. It only makes sense that to heal a cut like the one you had you would have to take control of the cells and force them to rapidly divide, thus healing the injury in a short amount of time," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms and looked her in the eye.

"You think I killed him," Hikari whispered as her fingertips twitched. Every survival instinct on the inside screamed for her to kill him and be done with it, but her logical side made her stand frozen to her spot.

Sasuke shifted his weight and watched her carefully, taking full notice to how tense she had become; he could see the shinobi inside of her leaking out, exposing itself. He wasn't standing in front of an amateur Kunoichi, he was standing in front of a wild and dangerous animal, one he had backed into a corner. "By theory, you could completely control a person and make them do what you want, that's why Arata's wounds were unrealistic to his situation," Sasuke explained further with a frown. "Did you do it?"

Hikari felt utterly trapped, she just wanted to lunge at him and choke the life out of him, but if she did that her position would be compromised and she would have to return home empty-handed. That was not an option, she refused to fail. Hikari bit her lip and decided to do something uncharacteristic; she told him the truth.

"Yes…I killed him," Hikari said as she looked Sasuke directly in the eyes.

"Is it because he humiliated you?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow. "Why murder him?"

"He attacked me with the intention of killing me," Hikari said as she relaxed and crossed her arms, finishing her confession of the truth with more lies at complete ease; she let the words slip through her lips and off of her tongue without a moment's hesitation. "When I found him, he was trying to escape because he knew what we were doing. I said I was going to apprehend him and return him to the camp when he lost it. I knew if I killed him it would look suspicious, though. I am an amateur as you have said, I shouldn't have the experience necessary to kill someone like him."

"But you used your Kekki Genkai and you knew if you told Kakashi you did it, you would have to tell people about it," Sasuke said with a nod.

"As far as anyone but you and I know, Arata committed suicide," Hikari said sternly as she looked him in the eye. "Got it? You promised to keep my Kekki Genkai a secret." She turned and looked ahead towards where the gates of Konoha would eventually appear. Sasuke turned his head and looked too. A moment of silence settled between them and Hikari was utterly unsure of what the Uchiha was thinking. "Are you going to run and turn me in?"

"If what you say is true," Sasuke said as he looked at her again, "I won't. He was a fugitive and you're a Kunoichi of Konoha. Because he is in the bingo book, he was free game. You had to protect your Kekki Genkai."

"I'm sorry," Hikari said quietly. "I've drawn you into something you shouldn't be a part of."

"I asked you for the truth of what happened; if I wasn't prepared to get involved, I wouldn't have asked," Sasuke said with a small smirk as he crossed his arms. "You keep on getting yourself into trouble, no wonder your team is terrible. First you almost get crushed by rocks, then you get us tied together, and then you have some deranged lunatic attack you."

"Hey!" Hikari said with a frown as she punched his arm. "My team is the best team! I could kick your ass any day, got it, Uchiha!?"

"Yeah, sure," Sasuke said as he crossed his arms. "You're an amateur…"

"I'll show you how hard an amateur can kick your family-jewels!" Hikari yelled as she narrowed her eyes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like getting into trouble with me, this whole mission half of the things you mentioned were partially _your fault_."

"At least you make things more interesting on the team," he said with a sigh. "Sakura probably would have squealed over that Arata guy and the mission would have been boring."

"So now I'm entertainment?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "I'm starting to wonder about you." Sasuke smirked while Hikari let out a small laugh. "Come on, let's start walking now that the elephant is gone from the room."

Sasuke nodded and then began to walk again.

"Can I ask for your help with something, Uchiha?" Hikari asked with a frown as she crossed her arms.

"It depends on what you want," he replied as he looked at her suspiciously.

"Well, when that guy attacked me, I thought for sure that I was going to die at first," Hikari uttered quietly. "It made me realise how weak I am and how much stronger I have to get."

Sasuke looked at her with a raised brow as they walked.

"You mentioned training together the other day…can I take you up on that? Can you help me out a bit with my skills? I know you don't want anyone to slow you down, but you're the strongest Genin in our class," Hikari explained as she bit her lip. "If I am going to learn anything, it would be from you."

"Sure," Sasuke said with a shrug. "When I watched you spar against Sakura I thought that with some practice you could actually be a challenging opponent."

Hikari smiled widely.

"Thanks," she said gratefully, "it means a lot that you're willing to help."

Sasuke shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Don't go thinking too hard about it…"

Silence fell around them and they continued to walk in the quiet, observing the forest and the fog that was beginning to clear off. Hikari smiled to herself, happy that she had found a way for Sasuke to drop his suspicions and to get close to him all in one day.

"So, tell me about yourself," Hikari said with a smile as she stretched and watched the road ahead.

"Why?" Sasuke asked with a sideways glance.

"Well, you could tell me something and I could know you said it about yourself, or I could trust a bunch of rumours and assumptions…" Hikari said with a smirk.

"I don't have much of a sweet tooth," Sasuke began as he rolled his eyes again.

"I love sweets," Hikari said with a pout. "Tell me something about you though, something that will help me understand you…"

Sasuke sighed as he looked at Hikari.

"Like you, my parents are dead," he said simply.

"I'm sorry that I asked," she said with a frown.

"It's fine…"

"What happened?" Hikari asked quietly. "If you're okay with telling me."

"They were murdered," Sasuke said sourly.

"Oh, my mother died of an illness," Hikari said sadly. "I was only about ten at the time. My father, well, he died in the explosion…" Sasuke nodded and turned to look at Hikari. She was looking at the road with a blank expression; he couldn't really tell what she was thinking. "I miss my mom more than anyone. She was very kind to me."

"You're going to be okay without them," he said with a shrug. He didn't know why, but he wanted to comfort her. Perhaps it was because he wished he had someone to help him when all of this happened to him, and sometimes, the way Hikari talked with she was frustrated or afraid reminded him of himself. There was someone standing in the way of her goals and he knew exactly what that felt like.

"You still don't feel better?" Hikari asked quietly as she looked up at him.

"My family died under special circumstances that don't allow such feelings…"

…

Hikari smiled when she looked up at the gates of the leaf village.

"We have better get to the Hokage," she said to Sasuke with a serious expression. "Kakashi wanted the ANBU there right away."

"Will they find out it was you?" Sasuke asked as they walked into the village. She waved at Kotetsu who was in the booth near the door and he waved at her and Sasuke. Hikari turned back to Sasuke and then frowned when she thought over his question.

"Not unless there are traces of my chakra left in his body, which I doubt because I drew back all the blood I had used to kill him." Hikari said quietly.

"Alright," Sasuke said with a nod. "Let's go then."

When the two Genin arrived at the Hokage's office, Hikari relaxed her facial expression and posture before knocking on the redwood door.

"Come in," the third Hokage's voice called from within. Hikari opened the door and Sasuke entered behind her. The third stood from a painting he was working on with a smile.

"Hikari and Sasuke, you're back already?"

"Actually, Lord Hokage," Hikari started with a frown. "There's been an incident and we were sent by Kakashi-sensei to bring you this letter."

The third's expression wavered to a frown as he took in the seriousness of her voice. Hikari walked forwards as she pulled the letter from within her pouch and then handed it to the Hokage. He unfolded it after removing it from its envelope and then read it with a worried expression prominent in his eyes.

"I'm sorry your mission has gone so askew," the third said quietly. "I will get the ANBU right on this because from what Kakashi describes the death is serious and suspicious. However, Kakashi has noted something here that I must ask you about, Hikari." She looked into his eyes without fear. "Did you see anyone?"

"No sir," Hikari said strongly.

"Did you kill him?" The question struck Hikari through the core, but she didn't let her shock show through to the surface. "Kakashi notes here that you are from the Koizumi-clan and if you had Kekki Genkai abilities, it would not be hard for you to kill Arata in the way in which the murder was executed."

"No sir," she repeated as her eyes hardened and she doused the fire of her nerves. "When I arrived he was already dead. I know of the Kekki Genkai my clan has, but have never had any proper training to see if I have it. It would have been impossible for me to do it, killing him in such a way would have required a great amount of skill."

The Hokage nodded as he folded the letter. "Very well, I shall send ANBU to Kakashi," the Hokage said with as he looked between the Genin. "However, in the meantime, you and Sasuke may return to your homes and rest. Your mission is over, but I ask that you return here tomorrow for a full report."

Hikari and Sasuke both nodded and then bowed their heads before being dismissed. As Hikari shut the door to the office she let a heavy sigh escape her lips and then began to shake. Hikari sucked in a deep breath and then turned to Sasuke, trying to shake off her nerves.

Kakashi had thought she had done it, but she hoped her lie would hold up. They had no way to prove she had Kekki Genkai unless she used it in front of them, or if Sasuke spilled. Hikari turned to Sasuke and held her index finger to her lips, as if telling him to be quiet.

"I'll see you later, Uchiha," she said as she looked directly into his black eyes.

Sasuke stared back before he nodded. Hikari felt like she could breathe again because in that moment, she knew he wouldn't say anything. She was safe, for now.


	16. Chapter XIII

**_Chapter XIII:_**

"We're celebrating your birthday…"

Once again Hikari had woken up to the sound of loud rapping on the front door to Kakashi's flat, only to open it and see Naruto.

"How in the world did you find out when I was born?" Hikari asked hostilely as she crossed her arms and glowered at him.

"You mentioned it to Sakura once during the academy and I bugged it out of her," Naruto said triumphantly. "Time for a celebration!"

"No," she responded in curt tone.

"Why not!?" Naruto demanded with a sour frown; it was as if Hikari had blocked out the sun and left a pouring cloud over his head with the way his mood swung.

"Because I am by no means a social creature," Hikari hissed impatiently. "I'd rather chew off my own arm then hang out with a bunch of people pretending to know me so they can have some free food."

Naruto crossed his arms and got into his thinking position, holding his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"I know, I can make them all bring one gift, and the spending cap is a minimum twenty dollars," Naruto said cheerfully with a big grin. "That way you aren't getting cheeped out!"

"If you think I am going to have a party just to get some free stuff out of people, Naruto, you have another think coming," Hikari said in a low tone. "I cannot be, by any means, bought."

"Well _sor_-ry!" Naruto huffed as he crossed his arms. "I will just invite Sakura to ramen then!"

"You do that," Hikari said dully. "Look, Naruto, if you want to buy a gift and wish me a happy birthday without any theatrics, that's one thing."

"You mean I can get you something?" he asked as he perked up.

"One thing…maximum twenty dollars," Hikari grumbled as Naruto grinned, showing his teeth. He bolted away from her door, running down the road in the excited manner that only he could run in. "Besides, you should be training! You never know when our sensei might throw some kind of test at us!"

…

It had been two hours since Naruto had talked to Hikari and he didn't know what to do with himself. He had already trained and ate ramen for lunch. He had yet to find Hikari a suitable gift, so he thought he might try another day. He supposed he could go home and watch some TV, but the thought didn't appeal to him. Naruto had always been more of an outdoors kind of guy.

"I'm bored!" he shouted to the world, his expression miserable. When he looked up and around to find something to do, his eyes landed on Sakura who was carrying a classily decorated basket and walking down the street towards him. "Hey, Sakura!"

"Oh, hey, Naruto," Sakura said as she looked at her team mate. "I was just going over to say hello to Hikari-chan."

"Why? I thought you hated her," Naruto said with a grumble as he crossed his arms.

"She visited me at the hospital and was really nice…I just wanted to show her my appreciation by giving her these peach-buns my mom made," Sakura said as she looked down at the basket she carried in her arms.

"Yeah, she's in her house right now," Naruto said as he put his hands behind his head and stuck out his tongue. "Good luck, she gave me the boot!"

"What about Sasuke-kun? Have you seen him today?" Sakura asked curiously. Naruto's brows stitched together as he tried to remember his day; now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Sasuke.

"No, he hasn't been around much lately. Actually, he's been around Hikari a lot," Naruto frowned. "They just suddenly got close, like best friends, and it's so not cool because Hikari was my friend before she knew Sasuke, believe it…" Naruto crossed his arms with a pout on his face that suited a three-year-old. "Teme…"

"Got close?" Sakura asked with confusion laced in her sea-foam eyes. "What do you mean?"

"They have been training all the time together lately, for the past month or so now," Naruto exclaimed with frustration. "Hikari's getting to be a good fighter now and he's hogging her to himself! SO NOT COOL, Hikari was my friend first!"

"I thought Hikari really hated Sasuke…" Sakura muttered with a frown as she looked towards the direction of Hikari's house. "Why would one mission change all that?" Her subconscious, and sometimes crude, thoughts popped up; she called them the thoughts of her alter-ego because she wouldn't ever say those things aloud. _"Not to mention I should have been there instead of her…WHAT A BITCH!" _

"Well, I think Hikari thinks more like a guy than a girl. You know, what I mean? She isn't like you or Ino, she doesn't care about her looks and she isn't afraid to get down in the dirt! I think that's why she and Sasuke have been sparring lately; it made them friends," Naruto said with a shrug.

"That's so stupid," Sakura said as she looked at Naruto harshly. "Hikari is _not_ a boy."

"Well, there is also the fact that Kakashi mentioned that he thought that Sasuke might have saved Hikari from some kind of injury. I told you about our mission, right? Well, it was probably that crook that popped up on the mission! Kakashi says that she's probably grateful towards him and asked for his help to make her stronger!" Naruto said as he crossed his arms, nodded, and pouted like he was really concentrating on the subject. "Or at least, that's what he said, believe it!"

Sakura sighed and as she rolled her eyes, said, "Let's go take a closer look, shall we?" Naruto shrugged and began to follow her. "I bet you're just overreacting."

"I'm not, believe it!"

When Sakura and Naruto approached Hikari's house, they saw Sora and Hoshi leave with smiles.

"See, they were at her house!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Those are her teammates," Sakura said with a sigh. "Could you be any more stupid?"

"Hey, look, it's Sasuke," Naruto said dully as he pointed.

Sakura turned and then grabbed Naruto and pulled him behind a fence when she realised he was right. The two Genin peeked around the corner with curious eyes. Sasuke approached Hikari's house and then knocked on the door. When she opened it, she smiled and ushered him inside.

"Sasuke just smirked!" Naruto yelled. "He's happy to see her! We have to get closer; I have to know what's going on!"

Sakura looked at Naruto with a sigh. "Can you be quiet?" she asked with a frown.

"Believe it!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and then started to peek around the fence again; she couldn't deny it, she was curious too. She was curious about what Hikari and Sasuke were up to, and she was curious if Hikari was only nice and encouraging towards her to get her away from Sasuke. Sakura assumed that Hikari had tricked her and was really trying to clear room for the taking Sasuke's heart.

_"And here I thought Ino was my toughest competition. Hikari played me for a fool. She's dangerously close to winning and I won't let her!" Sakura thought with angered eyes. "And I trusted her too… I'm so pathetic."_

"Are you ready, Sakura?" Naruto asked seriously. "We're working together so I can get my friend back and you can get yours."

Sakura nodded as she looked back at Naruto.

"Right!"

Sakura shoved the basket she had been carrying into Naruto's arms. "Here, eat some peach-buns..."

…

"So?" Hikari asked as she shut the door behind Sasuke. "Why have you come here today?" Sasuke looked Hikari in the eyes as a smirk took over his features.

"I was wondering if you would like to spar with me?"

"Again?" Hikari asked with her own smirk. "You seem to be taking a liking to me."

"You're one of the best Genin-fighters that I know," he said with a shrug. "You don't fight the way that most shinobi do…you don't work in patterns, it challenging."

"You could have just said, 'Yeah, you're right Hikari, I do like being around you.' Or, at least, something along those lines."

"But then I'd be lying."

"Better watch yourself, Uchiha," Hikari said as she slowly approached him. "You're playing with fire."

"I'm quite used to that," he said with a smirk as jabbed his thumb towards the logo on his back.

"Smartass…" Hikari muttered with a hiss as she walked towards the countertop in the kitchen. She picked up her kunai holder and strapped it to her thigh and then did the same with her ninja pouch to the belt around her waist. "Ok, I'll spar." Hikari looked towards Sasuke as she opened Kakashi's fridge and threw a bottle of water his way, which he caught, and then she retrieved her own. "I'm water natured and water puts out fire."

"We'll see who puts out whom," Sasuke said as he walked towards the door. "Fire can evaporate water."

Hikari smiled towards him as she slipped the bottle into her tools pouch.

"Hey, I have to thank you, Sasuke," she said quietly as she forced herself to look into his eyes.

"For what?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

"Well, this whole month you have been helping me whenever you have free time," Hikari said as she smiled softly at him. "It means a lot coming from you and I am glad that you want to be my friend…it's nice to have someone who understands me."

Sasuke only nodded, because talking about feelings was not really his forte. However, Hikari knew that he was glad she was willing to be his friend too. In truth, she had been feeling a lot better since returning from her mission; she wasn't so conflicted any more. Sasuke was her friend, she couldn't avoid it. However, what she could avoid was any sticky situations with him, ones where he overthought things about her. All she had to do was be careful and, in the end, it was worth it; she had gotten a great sparring partner out of it, one who actually did teach her skills. She may have been Jounin in rank, but it was always her Ninjutsu that gave her strength, not Taijutsu. It seemed like second nature to Sasuke, he was phenomenal at Taijutsu and on top of it was a really good teacher.

"I hate to be tardy and ruin whatever scheduling you may have, but" Hikari said with a shy glance aimed his way, "can I meet up with you on the way there? I have to run to a shop quickly and buy something." Sasuke raised a questioning brow. "Well um, I kind of did some snooping and I realised I have to go buy something," Hikari said quickly with a toothy grin as she tried to slip past him out the door.

"You found out that my birthday is this month didn't you?" Sasuke asked in a knowing tone as he tightened his grip on her hand.

"Maybe…" Hikari said with a nervous laugh as she executed a feeble attempt at getting her hand back. "I haven't had time to buy your gift and I just sort-of remembered that I was going to get it today…" Sasuke sighed. "I want to get something for you! You have been really great to me, teaching me things I didn't know and using your personal time to help me."

"You're not going to give up on getting me a gift, are you?" Hikari smiled at him as she shook her head. "Fine; but just so you know, I happen to know when your birthday is as well…" Sasuke let go of Hikari's hand and then shrugged as he crossed his arms. Hikari looked at him with a pout. "What? Can't take a dose of your own medicine?"

"Fine," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "But I am definitely buying a gift for you now…"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

"What, is Uchiha afraid of a little kindness?"

It twitched again.

"Aw, you're kind of funny-looking when you're annoyed," Hikari said with a smile.

"Koizumi," he said in a threatening tone as he stepped closer to her. She stepped back and found herself trapped between him and the wall.

"Oh…uh…"

Hikari looked up nervously at him and found herself instantaneously lost in his dark onyx coloured pools. Sasuke's eyes were the most intense eyes she had ever gazed into. Hikari flushed when she realised their position and then cleared her throat.

"Meet me at the field in an hour," he said as he backed away from her, his cheeks a little flushed too. He walked towards her door and left in a hurry.

Hikari bit her lip as she watched the door, her mind trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

"How are you today, Hikari?" At sound of Kakashi's voice, Hikari jumped.

"How long have you been there?" she demanded as she turned around, put one hand on her hip, and glared at Kakashi who sat on the couch.

"I just got here, why?" he asked as he tilted his head to a side.

Hikari let out a frustrated groan as she walked towards the door to the flat.

"I'll be back," she said as she yanked the door open, stepped out of it and then slammed it shut again.

"Girls…" Kakashi said with a shrug as he looked back down at the page of his book he had been reading.

…

"How long do you think it will take to get them engraved?" Hikari asked politely as she handed the box to the shop keeper. The man behind the desk opened the box and admired the brand new Kunai within.

"These are very expensive knives," he said as if he was proud to be touching them. "I have to handle these very delicately; I'll take it slow, just in case. I can have them done by the end of the week depending on how big the inscription is."

"I just want to have them engraved with someone's initials," Hikari said as she handed the man a sheet of paper with the letters on it. "There's no rush, I don't need them until the end of the month."

"If you can just fill out this sheet," the man said as he handed her the slip and a pen, "I can go put them in the back." Hikari nodded as she picked up the writing utensil and started to write her information; name, phone-number, address, and other basic information. After writing out the initials on the slip she slid it across the counter to the man with a friendly smile.

"Thank you," she said lightly. "How much do I owe you?" The shop keeper smiled as he rang up the order.

"For you? Half price," he said with a small smile. "You seem like a good kid and I am in a good mood."

Hikari couldn't help but widen her smile.

"Thank you, mister," she said lightly as she reached into her pocket and counted out the money the register read. "I think my friend is really going to like these."

"A friend?" he asked with a smile as he put the money in the register and then shut it, waiting for the receipt to print.

"Yeah, it's my friend's birthday this month and we're both Genin. He really likes training, so I figured I'd buy him some nice kunai."

The shop keeper ripped the receipt and handed it to Hikari.

"I know he'll love them," the shop owner said with a friendly smile. "Have a nice day, miss."

"You too," Hikari said with a wave as she turned and left the shop. The sun beamed down onto her face and she stretched with a smile, happy she had gotten her order in. Hikari felt her stomach rumble as she looked ahead at a local restaurant.

"How am I supposed to fight Sasuke on an empty stomach?" she asked as she walked towards the establishment. "I guess he is going to have to wait for me at our meeting spot; I'm starved…"


	17. Chapter XIV

_**Chapter XIV:**_

"Hikari?" Sasuke asked as he looked out of the corner of his eye at the ink-haired girl walking beside him. She looked at him with a smile in her aubergine eyes, letting him know she was listening. "Why were Naruto and Sakura hanging around the corner from your house this morning?"

"I don't know," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "They were probably spying…idiots." Hikari looked towards the sky as she put her index finger on the corner of her lips. "And now that I think about it, Sakura probably wants to kill me."

"More than usual?" Sasuke asked in a drawl.

"Do you know how much I have been discouraging her stalker-ish behavior towards you?" Hikari asked with a sarcastic smile. "I think I have had serious 'talks' with her twice now; I even visited her in the hospital. I basically told her she needed to stop making herself look so desperate and that if you liked her, you'd come around."

"Why does this matter?" Sasuke asked her with a raised brow. Hikari felt herself blush wildly.

"Well, uh, it's that we're friends and she won't like that," Hikari said with a nervous smile as she looked up at him through her lashes. "Besides, I don't see what Sakura sees in you," Hikari said brushing away her embarrassment. "You're just…uh, Sasuke."

"You make it sound as if I am some disgusting creature," Sasuke said with a light glare.

"Oh, did I? Woops," Hikari said innocently as she bit her lip. "I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention at all."

"Sure," Sasuke said as he rolled his eyes. "Just remember, I am going to get you back one of these days and you're not going to like it."

Hikari looked towards Sasuke as she stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. She frowned as she watched him with narrowed eyes. Sasuke also stopped walking but just as Hikari opened her mouth to speak, a loud and annoying voice interrupted.

"KONOHAMARU!"

Both Hikari and Sasuke's turned their heads to the far left, looking a few streets down.

"That sounded like Naruto," she said quietly as she looked at Sasuke. "Do you think something's wrong?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said with a frown. "Che…what an idiot, he's probably just had his wallet stolen or something stupid like that."

"I think we'd better check it out," Hikari said as she turned and began to run towards the source. They hopped over fences that surrounded the roads as they ran, dodging bushes and people.

"YOU'D BETTER TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF OF HIM, RIGHT NOW!"

"Yeah," Hikari said as she looked towards Sasuke. "Something's definitely up."

"PUT HIM DOWN!"

Both Hikari and Sasuke jumped into a tree that was on the other side of the fence and then spotted the scene that was unfolding; Naruto charging at a guy in a full-body back outfit.

"Those are Sand-shinobi," Hikari said quietly after she studied the symbols etched into their headbands. She looked at Sasuke quizzically. "What is that guy doing?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said as he pulled a rock from within his pocket and then tossed it up in the air, only to catch it. "But he shouldn't be doing it." Hikari looked towards what Sasuke had gestured at and her eyes widened.

_"That guy just knocked Naruto on his ass without even touching him!" _Hikari thought in an alarmed tone. _"Wait a minute. Why did Sasuke have a rock in his pocket?" _

"What the!?" Naruto exclaimed. "What was that!?"

"You're a Leaf Genin too?" the opposing guy asked. "It looks like your village is full of wimps."

"Konohamaru!" one of the little academy children called with worry.

"We have to do something," Hikari muttered quietly to Sasuke.

"Don't worry," he said with a smirk. "I've got this handled."

"You're not doing anything," Hikari stated flatly.

"Hey, cut it out!" the boy named Konohamaru struggled to say. "It hurts!"

"That's the Hokage's grandson!" Hikari said with widened eyes. "That guy's a fool!" Naruto groaned and then jumped to his feet.

"THAT'S IT!" he screamed as he pointed. "DROP HIM NOW OR I'LL RIP YOU APART! YOU GOT THAT, FOOL?"

"You're the fool!" Sakura yelled as she grabbed Naruto from behind and squeezed his neck as she put him in a headlock. "Making threats isn't going to help, Naruto!"

"You're annoying," the guy said. "All of you. I don't like runts, or any other scrawny weaklings, so when a wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth," he said as he raised his fist, "I just want to break 'em in half."

"Sasuke, now!" Hikari demanded in a hushed tone. "Or I will do it for you!"

Sakura gasped as she let go of Naruto to cover her mouth and Naruto started to yell again along with the academy children.

"First," the foreigner said. "I'll waist this little squirt and then I'll take the other one!"

Sasuke smirked to himself as he flicked his wrist and the rock whizzed towards the newcomer. The guy was forced to let go of Konohamaru as the rock pelted his hand. He slowly turned his head towards the tree, looking up at Sasuke who tossed another rock in his hand.

"You're a long way from home and you're way out of your league…"

The newcomer's eyes widened as he looked up towards the tree.

"And do you know what I hate, stranger?" Hikari asked as she crossed her arms. "I hate pompous dickheads who pick on little kids half their size. How about you fight me and we'll see who snaps who in half." Hikari glared as she jumped from the tree and made her way to Konohamaru. "Are you alright, little one?"

"I'm fine, lady."

"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed.

"Whatever, I'm not here at all," Hikari muttered as she rolled her eyes. Konohamaru got up and started to run towards the group he arrived with.

"Naruto!"

"Oh great, another wimp to tick me off," the stranger said with a frown.

"I'd watch what you're saying," Hikari said as she glared. "You're still cradling the arm 'that wimp' just pelted with a rock…"

Sasuke tossed another rock into the air, caught it, and then crushed it in his hand, letting the dust fall to the ground.

"Get lost."

"Now you're just being a show off," Hikari said as she walked towards the tree.

"How come you're not cool like that!?" Konohamaru demanded an answer to his question as he turned to Naruto.

"Oh, come on, I could have taken that guy out in two seconds flat," Naruto said with an almost pleading smile.

"Yeah right…"

"Hey punk, get down here," the stranger demanded. "Or are you just going to let your little girlfriend do your fighting?"

"Who are you calling little!?" Hikari demanded with a fiery glare. "I'm not that show-off's girlfriend!"

The stranger ignored her. "You're the kind of little shit I hate the most," he said as he started to pull on the bandages of a wrapped package on his back. "All attitude and nothing to back it up."

"What? Are you going to use the Crow for this? You're nuts," his blond companion said in an alarmed tone.

_"The Crow?"_ Hikari wondered. _"What a stupid name…"_

"That's it," Hikari said as she took out a kunai knife and charged at the man. "I don't like you, so now I am going to deal with you."

The man snarled and pulled a mass bundle of bandages, that were wrapped around something large and solid, out. He was reading to block her attack with whatever was in his hands. He didn't scare Hikari though, she was tougher than that.

"Kankurou, back off…" Hikari's head shot up towards the tree and she stopped dead in her tracks. _"Where did he come from!?"_

"You're an embarrassment to our village…" the newcomer finished with a glare. Hikari stared in awe.

_"I didn't even hear him! He just arrived out of nowhere, and not to mention, he looks like a freak!"_ Hikari worried as she chewed on the inside of her lip. Whoever this person was, their mere presence made her feel afraid. No one had managed to have that kind of power over her in a long time, not since her father. She felt herself talking a step away from the guy named Kankuro, knowing her fear was showing.

"Uh…hey, Gaara," the guy named Kankurou said with a nervous laugh.

"Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?"

"Yeah I know," Kankurou said nervously. "I-I mean they challenged us, they started the whole thing, really."

"You're full of shit!" Hikari yelled, taken out of her shock by the ridiculousness of his words, as she looked at him. "How about you grow a pair and fess-up like a man!"

Gaara looked down at Hikari with a glare and she felt her skin crawl when he turned to sand and then blew in front of Kankurou and his woman companion, rematerializing in front of them. Hikari backed away until she was closer to the edge of the fence, looking towards the group with suspicious eyes.

"Shut up," he hissed, "or you will regret it."

Sasuke jumped down next to Hikari, stepping slighting ahead of her.

"If you want to touch her," Sasuke said as he put his arm up to block Hikari from Gaara, "you will have to go through me."

Hikari closed her mouth as she looked at the teen named Gaara. He had threatened to kill her, and Sasuke had stood to protect her. She didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

"See here's what happened-" Kankurou began as he turned towards Gaara, breaking the tension between Sasuke and him.

"Shut up…Or I'll kill you."

"Right. I was totally out of line," Kankurou said as he held up his hands as if surrendering. "I'm sorry, Gaara, I was totally out of line..."

Gaara looked towards Sasuke.

"I'm sorry, for any trouble he caused…" Gaara ignored the previous tension between him and the Uchiha as if it didn't happen. He turned to his teammates, irritated. "Let's go…" Gaara demanded. "We didn't come here to play games."

"A-A-Alright, sure…I get it," Kankurou said quickly, as he turned and started to walk behind the red headed freak-child.

"Hold on!" Sakura yelled as she ran forwards. "HEY!"

"What?" the blond girl snapped.

"I can tell from your headband, that you come from the village hidden in the sand…" Sakura started. "Of course the land of fire and wind are allies, but no shinobi can enter another's village without permission, so, state your purpose and it'd better be good."

Hikari stepped forwards next to Sakura while the three turned around.

"Sakura's right," Hikari called. "But it's obvious why they're here."

Sakura looked at her while the blond-girl pulled a badge from her garment.

"Really? Have you guys all been living under a rock, or what? You don't know what's going on do you?"

"I do know what's going on, and regardless of the events here, it doesn't give you the right to bully a little kid," Hikari spat. "I should report you to the higher-ups. All three of you need a careful eye put on you if you're going to walk around punching six-year-olds."

The blond ignored Hikari and held up the badge.

"We have permission," she started. "Of course you're correct, we are hidden sand Genin, our home is Sunagakure and we're here for the Chuunin Exams. Get the picture?"

The group turned around again and started to walk away. Hikari sighed as she held her head and turned around, walking towards Sasuke.

"I am so going back to what I was doing a half an hour ago. You guys are just embarrassing…" Sasuke stepped forwards and pushed her aside gently; his goal was the front of the crowd.

"Hey, you," he called. "Identify yourself."

"Hmm? You mean me?" the girl turned and asked with the smile, making Hikari glare, she could tell she wasn't going to like this girl.

"No, him," Sasuke said as he pointed to the red head. "The guy with the gourd on his back."

"My name is Gaara," the red head said as he turned around, "of the Desert. I'm curious about you too; who are you?"

Sasuke smirked.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha."

Wind picked up and made Hikari reach up to secure her hair.

"Hi there!" Naruto yelled as he pointed to himself. "I bet you're dying to know my name, right?"

"I could care less…"

"Can't you handle a serious situation for even just a minute, Naruto?" Hikari asked as she raised her fist and hit him in the head, sending him back with her clan's renowned brute strength. "I am going to kill you!"

"And you," Gaara said, "girl with the black hair. Who are you? You have quite the mouth and seem familiar…"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, Gaara, she does look like that girl who was staying in our village a few years back," Kankurou said as he scratched his head. Hikari turned towards Gaara with brows twisted in confusion.

"Hikari Koizumi…" she said quietly. "It's impossible that I am familiar. We've never met. I have never been outside of Fire Country."

Gaara's eyes bored into her own and she felt a familiar sensation of fear lick at her gut, he knew she was lying, but when she was sure he was going to call her out on it, he turned around and broke the bone-chilling connection. They disappeared as they jumped away.

"Thank goodness…"

"AHHH You're not going to show me up Sasuke!"

"Back off, dobe…"

"I'm going back to training…" Hikari said as she shivered. "Are you coming or what?"

"Me?" Naruto asked with excitement.

"No, dobe," Sasuke said with a glare. "Hikari and I were training but then we heard your loud yelling and came to see what was going on."

"And now we're going back to training, however, we only have about an hour now…" Hikari said with a glare. "I have to meet up with my team."

"Kakashi wanted us to meet up too," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Let's go anyways…"

"Why not?" Hikari asked with a smirk as she trailed behind him. "I guess an hour is better than nothing…"


	18. Chapter XV

_**Chapter XV:**_

Asami looked up from her book with a raised brow towards the light tapping coming from the outside of her door. She set the book down and stood, walking to the door and gently opening it.

"Hikari?" she asked as she tilted her head. "We're not supposed to meet for twenty minutes; what's up?"

"I have some concerns." Hikari didn't even wait to be invited inside of her Sensei's home; instead, she pushed the older woman aside and then turned towards her once she was far enough into the house. Asami shut the door and then turned towards Hikari.

"What's wrong?"

"The Chuunin Exams," Hikari started as she folded her arms. "In all honesty, will our team pass if we enter?"

"I have no doubts in this team's abilities," Asami said with a frown as she planted her hands on her hips. "Why are you doubtful?"

"Well," Hikari said as she turned and sat down on Asami's couch. "I met some other contenders today; they're on a whole other level." Hikari closed her eyes; every colour of purple colliding together and representing everything she felt; love, hate, anxiety, concern, dread, and loneliness.

"Try not to let the other teams get to you," Asami said with a sigh of relief. "Sora and Hoshi have been working hard to use their Jutsu in the exams and I know you're advanced for your age. As far as I am concerned, cell six is the brightest Genin squad; you're perfectly balanced. What you lack in taijutsu, Hoshi and Sora makes up for. You are very skilled in Ninjutsu, where they lack, and Sora has genjutsu."

"You're biased," Hikari said with a sombre frown. "I know there are Genin in the village who outmatch us…"

"Sasuke Uchiha?" Asami asked as she folded her arms. "You're being awfully out-of-character, Hikari."

"I'm just worried," the younger kunoichi admitted with a frown. "I don't want them to get hurt in these exams."

"They won't," Asami assured with a smile that matched her gentle nature. She put a hand on Hikari's shoulder and then sighed, shaking her head as she pulled her student into a comforting hug. "That, I can promise you." Asami pulled away from Hikari and held her at arm's length. "Hey, why don't we go out to the tea shop you like down the road? Just you and me? I want to know more about my student, most of the time you kind of stick to yourself."

"Alright," Hikari said with a shrug. "But what about us meeting as a team?"

"We'll go afterwards, okay?"

"Sure." Hikari paused and then looked at Asami. Asami was a Koizumi, she probably had the Kekki Genkai. If Hikari could just ask her to train her, pretending that she wanted to see if she could learn, she would have use of her Kekki Genkai for the exam. "One last thing, Asami…can I ask you help with something?"

"What is it?" she asked as she tilted her head.

"You're a Koizumi," Hikari said nervously, "I recently learned that we have a Kekki Genkai and I want to know if I can learn how to use it…if I have it. Could you train me? It would be a HUGE leg up for the exam."

Asami's facial expression dropped to a frown. "I'm really sorry, Hikari, but I was adopted into the Koizumi clan…I don't have the Kekki Genkai."

"Oh," Hikari said with disappointment as her eyes dropped.

"But," Asami said as she crossed her arms and smiled. "I might know someone who can. I will contact him and see if he is free."

"Oh really?" Hikari asked as her eyes lit up. "You mean it?"

"Of course," Asami said with a gentle smile. "Anything to help a student."n

…

"Hello," Hikari said brightly as she jumped out from a tree in front of team seven.

"HIKARI, GUESS WHAT!" Hikari looked over at Naruto with a questioning brow.

"You were recommended for the Chuunin Exams?" Hikari asked with a sigh as she folded her arms. She looked at Sasuke and then frowned with realisation. "Oh my god, I am starting to pick up duck-ass's mannerisms now too!"

Sasuke glared at Hikari.

"Just because we're on friendly terms doesn't mean I will let you get away with talking about me like that," Sasuke growled.

"Oh, but you will," Hikari said with a Cheshire-Cat grin as she walked towards him. "Remember how you said that I am challenging? Well, this is me challenging you."

Sakura's eyes widened as she watched Hikari openly flirt with Sasuke and what scared her more was the fact that he didn't seem to mind.

"UH, HELLO?" Naruto asked in a yell. "I was talking here!"

Hikari looked up from her stare down with Sasuke with surprised eyes.

"Oh, sorry Naruto," she said with a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. "I got caught up in the moment. Now, tell me what's so important."

"I got recommended for the Chuunin Exams!" Naruto yelled as he pumped his fist into the air. "Believe it!"

"Yeah? You and every other Genin in the village…" Hikari said with shrug as she held up her slip of paper that recommended her. "My whole squad got in and I heard from Ino that hers and Hinata's squads are also attending. It's really not that special, Naruto, not yet anyways."

"Not yet?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head to a side. "What does that mean?"

"Ok, Naruto, I know this concept is hard for you," Hikari said with a sigh. "Really think hard about this, okay? What happens if you make it to the end of the Exams? What happens if you win?"

"You become a Chuunin!" he yelled as he fist-pumped the air again. "But what where you talking ab-…Oh…"

"See, Naruto? You just have to win your match," she said with a bright smile and a giggle. "Somehow, I think you'll pull through just fine. Now me? I am unsure about me."

"You'll do great, Hikari," Sakura spoke up quickly; her voice higher in pitch than normal. Hikari raised her brow as she turned to the pink-haired girl.

"Are you sure you're feeling well yet, Sakura?"

"What? Oh, yes. I'm fine," Sakura said with a nervous laugh. Hikari blinked but then shook her head as she turned around again. Sakura couldn't help but notice that Sasuke had not taken his eyes away from Hikari since the girl arrived; when she thought harder about it, she realised that lately anywhere she had seen Sasuke, Hikari was usual with him or not far behind.

"Anyways," Hikari said as she turned back to Sasuke with a smile. "I know I had to take a semi rain-check on our sparring because of those Sand Ninja, but I was wondering if you wanted to spar with me now? I brought enough water for the two of us."

Sasuke nodded as he stepped towards her. Hikari reached into her ninja-gear pouch and tossed him the bottle, which he caught.

"Wait!" Naruto yelled as he ran in front of Hikari. "Can't I come?"

"Sorry Naruto," Hikari said with a sad smile. "But I need to practice with Sasuke, today. Maybe tomorrow we'll spar."

"Hikari, you never hang out with me anymore!" Naruto protested with a frown as he crossed his arms. "You always say 'maybe tomorrow', but it never happens! You only like to hang around that JERK now!"

"Naruto," Sasuke said with a glare. "Leave her alone."

"What? Is she your girlfriend or something?" Naruto shouted.

The clearing became quiet; no one said a word, but an awkward tension filled the space left by the silence.

"I'm not his girlfriend," Hikari said after she looked at Sasuke for support. "Calm down. I tried to handle this easily by telling you I might spar with you tomorrow and you wouldn't let me do that, so, I am going to have to give you some tough-love. To be frank, Naruto, you're not a good sparring partner for me. I work with Sasuke because we have similar fighting styles. I need to work on my taijutsu, because it is really not up to par and the way you fight is with clones. I can make clones like that, so it's inefficient to learn with you." Naruto looked at Hikari, utterly stunned with her words; she had never talked to him in such a manner. "I'm sorry, but it's the bittersweet truth. You're my friend Naruto, but you're not the person I'd prefer to spar with. I am trying to get stronger too; that means that I have to put my needs ahead of everyone else's. If the time presents itself that Sasuke is free, I am going take that opportunity to spar with him if he will have me. I'm not saying I won't spar with you, I am just telling you the truth; I would rather spar with Sasuke." Naruto stood with his mouth hung agape. "Now like I said, maybe I will spar with you tomorrow." Hikari turned around and started to follow Sasuke, who had already started walking towards the training grounds.

"We have to follow them," Sakura said with a glare towards Hikari. "I know something's up."

"I think she made it pretty clear," Naruto said with a frown. "She doesn't want us hanging around."

"Who said she has to know, Naruto?" Sakura snapped. "Hikari does not treat anyone the way she just treated you; I know something is up and I am going to find out with or without your help."

"Fine," Naruto said as he crossed his arms. "But, I suggest we wait a few minutes before tailing them."

…

"You were pretty harsh to Naruto…" Sasuke said quietly as Hikari trailed behind him. "That's out of character for you."

"I know," Hikari said in such a way that Sasuke knew she was frowning. His own frown appeared when he felt the overwhelming sensation to ease her discomfort and pain; he couldn't figure out why he felt that way, which bothered him more. "I had to say something though. However, I made myself look like the bad-guy."

"You could have just let him tag along," Sasuke said as he rolled his eyes. "Get the loser to shut up."

"I am too selfish for that," Hikari said with a small smile as she looked towards the Uchiha. "To tell you the truth, I wanted to spend time with you."

Sasuke smirked.

"Have you fallen ill?"

"No!" Hikari snapped with a glare. "Shut up, duck-ass! I just wanted to talk to you about something that has been bothering me."

"I think what Kankurou said has gotten into your head," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Now you're turning into one of those obsessive girls, aren't you?"

Hikari's eyebrow twitched and before she knew it, she had pounced forwards and knocked the Uchiha to the ground. She started to tug on locks of Sasuke's hair, forcefully yanking on the hair she thought would feel like it had been glued, but surprisingly it was soft.

"I'll pull out your feathers, duck-ass!" she exclaimed with a snarl as she added more force when she pulled.

Sasuke used his weight to roll over so Hikari was underneath him and he was holding her arms down.

"Now who's in trouble?" he challenged.

Hikari went to retort but she faltered when she opened her mouth to speak. She stared into his onyx eyes and felt herself begin to relax.

"You know you're an ass, right?" she asked as she turned her head away and looked into the forest undergrowth. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he squeezed her arms, which he was still pinning to the ground, to get her attention.

"Something's bothering you…" he announced as he looked into her eyes.

"Yeah, you're sitting on me…"

Sasuke shook his head and rolled his eyes again as he backed off and then helped her sit-up.

"What's bothering you so much?"

"Well, I talked to my sensei about it already, but I don't feel any better," Hikari said with a sigh as she crossed her arms and rested them on her knees. "In truth, that whole incident with those Genin from Sunagakure is bothering me. I feel so damn weak…" Hikari bit her lip and then clenched her hands into fists, upset that she truly felt like this. "That Gaara guy scared the shit out of me. If I am going to fight in these exams and that's the level that the other villages are sending here, I am going to fail."

"But you don't even know what that Gaara guy is like; he could be all intimidation for all you know," Sasuke said with a shrug. "You're excellent at Ninjutsu, Hikari, probably one of the stronger Genin in the village despite the fact that you're such a rookie."

"But that's the point," Hikari said as she slammed her fists into the ground. "All intimidation, don't you know that fear cuts deeper than any blade? If I can't even stand in his presence without feeling like I am going to die, there is no way I can fight him."

"Why does he scare you so much?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.

"Because he has the same deadness in his eyes that my father had," Hikari said with a hiss. "My father had me beaten once because I couldn't do what he asked of me. I always remember what that felt like, it's seared into my brain. When I looked into the eyes of that Gaara guy, it was all I could think about." Hikari let out a shaky breath and then began to cry. "There is a reason I suck at Taijutsu, I am cripplingly afraid of physical pain…when you hurt so much that you can't even move anymore, it does terrible things to your mind."

"But you fight with me, almost every other day," Sasuke said as he looked her in the eye. "I never see you cower or freeze when you get punched."

"It's because I _trust_ you," Hikari stressed with a frown as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Then trust me when I say I won't let Gaara touch you," Sasuke said firmly.

"We're not even on the same team, Sasuke," Hikari said as she held her head. "The offer is sweet, but unrealistic."

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said, "I won't let him hurt you."

Hikari felt herself smile a small smile.

"Thank you, Sasuke," she said quietly, "I don't think I have ever had someone say anything like that to me."


	19. Chapter XVI

_**Chapter XVI:**_

"We're seriously going to have to kick up our game," Hikari said as she crossed her arms and watched all the Genin from the different villages filter into the academy doors.

"Yeah, some of these guys look tough," Sora said as he looked between all of the faces.

"Try not to think about everyone else," Hoshi said quietly. "If we watch each other's backs, we will prevail."

"We're lucky that guy gave us a heads up," Hikari said with a frown as she remembered his visit.

_"I will give you this information on one condition; do not acknowledge that you have met me during the exams. If you betray me, I will betray you." _

Hikari had not forgotten that he had looked directly at her when he said the last part. The man made her physically ill and now he was back to test her again; she was just thankful that he had not appeared in her bedroom like the last time they had met up. His presence unnerved her and like always when her father's henchmen were around, she felt like she was under a spotlight.

"Just don't forget the blinking system," Hoshi encouraged. "Blink three times in a row if you need my help. We know my jutsu is best suited for this."

"We're lucky you were interested in going into the special intelligence program." Hikari said with a smirk. "Your telepathic jutsu is so amazing for something like these exams, Hoshi."

"My jutsu takes chakra," Hoshi said with a frown. "Do not forget that I have limitations, Hikari."

"I know," she said with a nod. "But I am comfortable knowing we have an ace up our sleeves just in case something goes wrong." Hoshi and Sora nodded in agreement.

"We're going to pull through this, I know it," Sora said brightly. "We're team Asami, the best Genin squad out there!"

"I beg to differ."

Hikari looked to a side to see Sasuke leaning against the outside wall of the academy with his arms crossed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hikari asked with narrowed eyes.

"Obviously, that you're not the best Genin squad," he said with a shrug. "If anything, the Genin Squads of the leaf are the weakest in these whole exams. However, weak squad or not, we do have three Genin that are apparently hard to beat from what I have heard."

"And let me guess," Hikari said as she put her hands on her hips. "You're one of them?"

"Yeah, along with, Hoshi, and another Genin named Neji," Sasuke said with a smirk. "I know you're going to last awhile, Hikari, but I wonder who will get further, you or I?"

"Obviously me," Hikari said with a confident smirk. She walked towards Sasuke and lightly punched his shoulder. "Don't get too confident, alright? I don't want you to lose because of your big head. You've got something to prove to everyone, right?"

Sasuke nodded seriously.

"I'll be fine," he said firmly. He put his hand on Hikari's shoulder and looked into her eyes with a knowing gaze. "Good luck, Hikari, but remember, you have something to prove too…don't lose to these guys."

"Right, I won't," Hikari said with a nod of her head. She held up her fist and Sasuke rolled his eyes, but bumped with her anyways. "Thanks for teaching me Uchiha, but I expect more tutorage in the near future!"

Hikari smiled at him one last time before she turned around and walked back to her squad, where Sora stood with his eyes widened and his jaw agape.

"What was _that_?" he asked, almost as if he was disgusted.

Hikari twisted her brow as she looked at him.

"'_That_' was Sasuke…" Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "Try not to be so rude, it makes you really unattractive."

"No I mean, you just fist-bumped with him!" Sora said as if she was dumb. "_Why_?"

"I think it's obvious, Sora," Hoshi said with a raised brow. "Sasuke's been training Hikari in his spare time for a month or two now. They're friends…"

"But you _hate_ Sasuke!" he countered. "When the hell did this happen?"

"I found out he isn't as bad as he seems," Hikari said with a shrug. "Calm down, we're sparring buddies, it's no big whoop."

Hikari brushed off Sora's melodramatic reaction and walked to Hoshi, planning to explain some ideas she had for the exam. Sora looked up at Sasuke's face with his baby-blue eyes held in a light glare. He couldn't help but feel infuriated when he saw a cocky smirk stretch across the Uchiha's lips.

…

"Hikari," Hoshi called from the corner of the waiting room. Hikari turned around and looked at him with a raised brow. "Come here, I want to talk to you."

Hikari turned around and walked to the taller ink-haired Genin with a frown worn on her lips. She hated that tone of voice and couldn't help but feel like she was in some kind of trouble. Not to mention, Hoshi did have that relationship with here where he was like an older brother, so the scolding would feel real.

"What's up?" she asked casually with a shrug. Hikari was trying to lighten the tension she was feeling by any means she could think of. She didn't have a clue as to what Hoshi wanted, but she could only think it wasn't good.

"You should be careful of how you present yourself to others," he said with a sigh as he folded his arms.

"Oh?" she asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"Especially my brother…he's not exactly the strong type, but he is the jealous type."

"Where are you going with this?" Hikari asked in a drawl. "I think I might leave if it's going where I think it is. There is nothing going on there and this is _not_ the time or the place."

"Hikari, you know full well that you strung Sora along and then just dropped him out of nowhere to hang around Sasuke," Hoshi said as he narrowed his eyes. "I mean, we have barely seen you in the last month or so. You blow us off to train with Uchiha and we haven't exactly been spending time together as a team. I can't control your life or actions, but I can ask you to try and think next time you do something that could endanger the success of this team in front of him."

"Look, you're brother's cute and at one time I thought I had a crush on him," Hikari started. "But I know when to drop something and he should too, getting into a relationship with him would only endanger our teamwork; you should never have inner-squad relationships."

"He's a boy who has a crush on a pretty girl," Hoshi said with a light glare. "He thought the pretty girl liked him back until all of a sudden the pretty girl is practically latching herself to another boy; how would you feel if the roles were reversed?"

Hikari felt like she was going to blow a gasket, which made her yell right in front of everyone and draw their attention too. "There is absolutely nothing going on with Uchiha! You're making it sound as if I have cheated on your brother when **nothing** ever happened between us!" Hikari replied as her jaw tensed. She frowned when she realised that many eyes were staring at them. "Just leave me alone, Hoshi, this is not the place for the conversation."

Hikari abruptly turned away from him and saw Ino jumping on Sasuke's back, making her sigh at the other kunoichi's idiocy. She focused on the irritated Hoshi again with another sigh.

In a more hushed tone, she said, "Look, I'm sorry, ok? I'll apologise to Sora."

"Hikari," Hoshi said with his own sigh. "I am not saying it's wrong to hang around other people, that's fine. But you need to think about your team too. I know for a fact Sora will get over this and move onto another girl. However, I also know he is the jealous type and might do something stupid. Next time, just think twice, okay? I really don't want to endanger the unity of this squad."

"Yeah…" Hikari looked up at Hoshi. "Speaking of being in the wrong, what about the fact that you tell all those fan girls that you're gay when you're really not?"

Hoshi's eyes briefly widened.

"What are you talking about? I am ga-" Hikari cut him off.

"No you're not," she said as she started to laugh. "I've seen you around the village with that brown-haired kunoichi; you can't feign having a crush like that on someone."

"Hikari," Hoshi said in a warning tone. "If you spill a word to those irritating girls-"

"No worries," Hikari said with smiling eyes. "I won't tell a soul; I promise." Hoshi started to make his way back to the crowd when Hikari called out to him. "Hoshi, do you have any guys drooling over you yet?"

…

"Sorry, but Sasuke's all mine," Ino said as she pulled down her eyelid and stuck out her tongue towards Sakura.

"Actually," Hikari said as she entered the conversation. "I believe Sasuke is a free human being, therefore, no one's property, Ino." Ino turned to glare at her.

"Hey, Hikari," Shikamaru said to acknowledge her.

"Hello, Shikamaru," Hikari said with a friendly smile. "Sorry I wasn't able to play Shougi with you the other day, I was training with Sasuke. Not to mention Asami had to go on a last minute mission."

"Ah, it's no big deal," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "I played with Asuma-sensei instead."

"Okay, I am glad I wasn't missed too much," Hikari said with a smile.

"Wait!" Ino yelled. "You did _what_ with Sasuke!?"

"Oh my god," Hikari drawled as she clamped her hands over her ears. "Shut up."

"Hikari!" Ino yelled in frustration. "Don't test my patience!"

"Oh no," Hikari said, "I would never want to do that."

"Ugh!"

"Well-well," Kiba said as he approached the group. "What do you know? It looks like the whole gangs back together again…"

"Hi, Naruto," Hinata said quietly as she twiddled her fingers.

"You guys too, huh?" Shikamaru asked as he looked at the new group that had approached. "Man, everyone's here for this stupid thing."

"Told you, Naruto," Hikari said with a smirk.

Sasuke wormed his way out of Ino's grasp and pushed her to the side, giving himself space from her clingy habits. Hikari smirked as she watched the situation.

"You ok, Sasuke? You look like you're going to be sick or something. Catch a bad case of salmonella from that pig over there?"

A red vein on Ino's forehead bulged.

"HIKARI!"

"Burrrrrnnned," Naruto said loudly with a laugh.

"Heh, all twelve of us rookies all here," Kiba said with a smirk. "Just hope none of us lose, right Sasuke?"

"Kiba, just watch you don't get overconfident…"

"I think you might want to watch your confidence metre too," Hikari said with a shrug.

"Weren't you telling me earlier you were the strongest Genin?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Hey," Hikari said with her own smirk. "I said I'd beat you. You're just implying that you're the strongest, therefore making me the strongest for beating you; in the end, you're still the cocky one…"

"Uh…What?" Naruto asked looking in between the two.

"Besides, if you want to stay on my 'friendly' side, you'd better shut up."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ino yelled as she looked in between the two. "I swear, Hikari, if you're messing around with my Sasuke-"

"Actually, Ino," Hikari said innocently as she stepped back away from the girl, "I believe Sasuke is the one who started messing with me; what kind of girl would I be if I didn't mess back?" Ino's eyes bulged as she ran at Hikari, only making Hikari step aside and Ino fall on the ground. "Oh, you had better watch where you're going, you could hurt yourself, Ino." Hikari laughed and shook her head. "God, I love making you look bad, you're so easy to work up. I still don't get why Sakura's your friend."

"Ino, stop getting so worked up," Shikamaru said as he rolled his eyes. "You're making our team look bad."

"Hey, you guys…" Hikari looked to her side, but then felt her good mood plummet. "You might want to try and keep it down over here. I mean no offence, but, you're the twelve rookies, right? Fresh out the academy? Cool it, this isn't a class fieldtrip."

"Well who asked you!?" Ino screamed. "Who are you!?"

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi, but really, look around you." Hikari turned along with the rest of the group. "You've made quite an impression." Everyone was staring. "See those guys? They're from Amegakure; very touchy, they all are. This exam makes everyone tense, and you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now."

_"Here we go…" _

"You can't help it," Kabuto said with a shrug, "I mean, how could you know? You're just rookies." Kabuto looked up at the group. "You remind me of myself awhile back."

"Kabuto, that's your name?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah."

"This isn't the first time you've taken the exam?"

"No, it's my…seventh…" Kabuto sighed. "Well, they're held twice a year; that means this is my fourth year."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "I'm out of here," she said as she started to walk the other way. "See you guys around." She didn't want to admit it, but Kabuto rubbed her the wrong way. She felt uneasy around him. She turned to her team and then smiled at them. "Let's go find our seats."


	20. Chapter XVII

_**Chapter XVII:**_

"Alright you baby-faced degenerates, pipe down and listen up!" Hikari looked to the front of the classroom from her seat and saw the exam proctor. "It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor."

"Who is he?" Hikari asked as she leaned towards Hoshi.

"He's a ninja from the special intelligence program," Hoshi explained. "He's not to be taken lightly, so, you had better listen carefully."

"Right," Hikari said with a nod of her head as she looked back to the proctor; she could always trust Hoshi to know about some of the inner workings of the village. Hikari looked towards Hoshi again and bit her lip, maybe he was the answer to finding the fox-boy.

"First, you candidates from Otogakure, knock it off!" Ibiki yelled as he pointed at them. "Who told you that you could fight? Do you want to be failed before we've even begun?" Hikari looked back towards Ibiki, a little nervous about him being in the intelligence unit; what if he could read her mind somehow? "Now, if we're ready, we'll proceed to the first stage of the Chuunin Exams. Hand over your paperwork; in return you will be given a number. This number corresponds to where you sit. We'll start the written test once you're all seated."

…

_"This is going to be difficult…"_ Hikari thought to herself as she looked around. _"Sora and Hoshi are at the other end of the room. I guess we will have to rely on his jutsu; I can't see blinking from here…"_

"Everyone, eyes at the front," Ibiki commanded. "There are a few rules you need to be aware of. I won't answer any questions, so you'd better pay attention." Ibiki started to write on the board. "Rule one: The written exam is conducted on a point reduction system. Contrary to what some of you may be used to, you all start off with a perfect score of ten points. One point will be deducted for each answer you get wrong; also if you're caught cheating, two points will be deducted. If you're caught cheating five times, you're removed from the exam. Rule number two: teams will pass based on the total score of all three members."

"WAIT A SECOND!" Sakura screamed. "YOU'RE SAYING WE ALL GET SCORED AS A TEAM?"

"Silence," Ibiki commanded. "I have my reasons. If you all want to be shinobi you will have to us what exceptional shinobi you can be. One more thing, if a team member scores zero, the team fails."

None of these rules really affected Hikari because she knew Hoshi would know everything, for sure. Hikari hoped that she could answer questions, along with Sora, but, anything they didn't know, Hoshi would tell them. She felt comfortable with a back-up plan.

"The final question won't be given out until the end of the testing period. You'll have one hour total. Begin!"

…

_"Every one of these questions are complicated, high level, math problems,"_ Hikari thought as she read over the sheet, _"each getting progressively harder. Luckily, I am pretty good at math, but I know Sora is pretty poor at it. Hoshi is good, but not to this level. These are all questions someone with a Jounin-leveled education would know. We did not anticipate this at all, we totally thought it'd be scenario based…"_ Hikari looked around with a sigh and then started to scratch her answers into the paper with her pencil.

After a half an hour had passed, Hikari found herself stuck on the fifth and sixth questions, all the others she had been able to answer. She was chewing away at the inside of her lip, trying to do the calculations, but she knew she was missing a step. Her eyes swept the room to see many sweating shinobi who were obviously mentally freaking out. Hikari tapped her pencil against her temple, as if trying to beat the numbers into her head.

_"These problems are so hard, it's as if they want you to cheat," _she thought with a frown pulling down at her lips. _"In fact, they put more effort into watching for cheaters than the test itself. It's not adding up, why let us cheat five times? Once is usually enough evidence to lose your test…"_

_"Hikari?" _

_"Hoshi !"_

Hikari looked around and saw Hoshi's head down. It looked like he was looking as his sheet, however, Hikari knew that he was really using his telepathic-Ninjutsu. She knew that the communication was one way, so, she knew she needed to do her part next.

Hikari looked around the room to make sure no one had their eyes on her at the moment. She nodded as she took her pencil and jabbed it into her hand, making small droplets of blood fall to the ground. Hikari used her chakra to send the blood rushing through the classroom and up onto Hoshi's desk, where it settled and then started to form into the answers for each question, one at a time.

She was only able to use her Kekki Genkai because she had told Sora and Hoshi that it was an advanced liquid-manipulation jutsu; an extension of her water jutsu. She knew she had to find a way to use her Kekki Genkai on missions to further success before Asami found her a teacher. However, just to be safe, she also asked them to keep it to themselves so that they didn't accidentally mention it to people like Kakashi. They agreed.

_"Next question…" _

Hoshi voice faded from her mind and she quickly used her chakra to alter the answer into the next. She continued doing this until all the questions Hoshi had not been able to answer were answered. Hikari manipulated her blood to ask 'do you know what the answers to question five and six are? If so, explain them to me'. Hoshi did as she asked and she wrote down the answers step by step.

_"The guy next to me was answering those ones, so I copied him."_ Hoshi told her. _"Have you realised what this test was about?"_

Hikari altered the blood to say 'yes' and then altered it again to making it say 'We're supposed to cheat, we're encouraged to, in fact.'

_"Precisely. I figured it out when I looked at the questions and then remembered that Ibiki is from the Intelligence unit. He's teaching us to gather information. I just hope Sora gets that…"_

'It looks like he is using a jutsu,' Hikari made the blood say as she stared at Sora through the many heads. 'Should I send him the answers?'

_"He will give me the signal if he can't get them on his own; if that happens, I will pass the message onto you." _

'Got it.' Hikari sighed as she started to concentrate on bringing the blood back into her own body, 'I will send out the blood again if he needs it.' Hikari set her slightly bloodstained pencil down with a sigh of relief.

_"That was so stressful…"_ Hikari thought as she looked around the room._ "I wonder how Sasuke's doing…"_ Hikari pinpointed his location and saw him using some kind of Doujutsu._ "He must be using his Kekki Genkai, I'll have to ask him what it is later on."_

_"Hikari." _Hikari looked towards Hoshi. _"Sora was using his genjutsu on the guy in front of him but he ran out of answers. He needs five through nine."_ Hikari nodded and then brought her pencil to her hand once again, jabbing it into her sensitive flesh and making it bleed; she sent the blood with her chakra to Sora, who signalled Hoshi that he needed the next by scratching his head.

_"He needs the next answer, Hikari."_

Hikari nodded again as she used her chakra to manipulate her blood, changing it to the sixth answer. After the ninth answer, Hikari drew back her blood and then healed the cut; she sighed in relief when the pain disappeared. It was like an annoying prick and she was happy to be rid of it. Hikari set her pencil down again and then looked towards Sasuke, who sat relaxed in his seat, and then towards Naruto who looked to be freaking out.

_"In exactly five minutes, the last question will be given out." _she thought with a frown as she looked at the hyper-active blond. _"You can do it, Naruto."_

…

"Now that we have weeded out most of the hopeless cases, here's the final question," Ibiki said with a smirk. "Alright, listen up! Here's the tenth and final question! But, before I give you the question there are some more rules you need to know. These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully and try not to let them frighten you. Very well then, rule number one: Each of you are free to choose not to be given the final question, it's your choice."

"Whoa! So what's the catch?" Temari yelled. "If we choose not to take the tenth question, what happens then?"

"If you choose not to take the tenth question, regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words you fail," Ibiki said with a smirk. "And that means, of course, both your team mates fail. However, if you do accept the question and answer it incorrectly, you will not only fail, you will be barred from taking the Chuunin Exam ever again!"

_"Forbidden to take the exam again?" _Hikari asked with a frown. _"What kind of rule is that? However, I guess in the end it doesn't matter for me, I am leaving this village as soon as I kill the fox-boy anyways. It's all or nothing, I know I am laying out my cards and seeing what I've got."_

"Hikari, Sora and I are staying, nod if you are going to as well. We know the risks, but knowing who Ibiki is, we think this may be an illusion of some sort. Either that or we're going to be screwed over. Besides, what's a year or two going to change? We're still going to have to answer this one way or another and I want to get it out of the way. Do not forget to send messages if you do not know the answer, ok? "

Hikari looked at Hoshi and gave him a curt nod.

"HEY THAT'S BULL, MAN!" Kiba yelled. "THAT'S REDICULOUS. WHAT KIND OF BOGUS RULE IS THAT? THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE HERE WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TEST BEFORE!"

Ibiki chuckled.

"I guess you're just unlucky, I wasn't making the rules before, but I am now. Of course if you're not feeling confident, then by all means go on and leave. You can come back and try again next year," Ibiki said and then out another set of chuckles. "Now then, if you're ready. The tenth and final question, those who don't want to take it raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and then you're free to go."

Hikari looked around the room and saw several hands rise. Hikari looked towards all the members of team seven and then her eyes widened when she saw Naruto put his hand up. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, Naruto never gave into anything.

_"What are you doing, Naruto!?"_ she mentally screamed. _"Don't you want to become Hokage? You can't ever do that if you don't prevail in this test!"_

Naruto shook, but then he slammed his hand down instead of leaving.

"DON'T UNDERESITMATE ME!" he screamed. "I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want. You guys aren't going to scare me off! No way!" Hikari's eyes widened even more. "I don't care if I get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life! I'll still be Hokage someday!" Naruto stood from his seat and glared at the proctor. "BELIEVE IT!" Naruto crossed his arms and sat down.

Hikari smiled as she gave Naruto a thumbs-up and mouthed 'Way to go!' He gave her a goofy smile in return.

"This decision is one that could change your life," Ibiki started. "If for any reason you would rather quit, now's your last chance."

Hikari looked around and no one else moved. She smiled. _"He inspired the whole room,"_ she thought looking around again. _"Naruto, I'm proud of you." _

"Well then, I admire your determination, if nothing else," Ibiki said with a smirk. "For those of you remaining there is only one thing left to do and that's for me to tell you…that you've all passed the first exam!"

"Hold on!" Sakura yelled as she stood up. "What just happened!? What do you mean, we've passed? Where's the tenth question?" Ibiki smiled widely and laughed.

"There never was one, not a written one at least! Your decision to stay was the answer to the tenth question!"

"Wait a second," Temari snarled. "So the other nine question you gave us where just a waste of time!? Is that what you're saying!?"

"Geez," Hikari said as she leaned back in her chair and put her hands behind her hand. "Calm down. You should be glad you've passed."

"No, no, not at all," Ibiki said with a smile. "Quite the opposite. The first nine questions had an important overriding purpose. To test your ability to gather information under the most strict environment we could muster."

"Oh…well, that clears up everything…" Temari said dully.

"Let me explain," Ibiki said as he stuffed his hands in his jacket pocket. "My objective was to not only test you as individuals, but as a team, and how well you function as a part of that team. That's why the test was scored on a team basis. That way you knew everything you did, or didn't do, affected your team directly. I wanted to see how you'd handle the pressure." Ibiki looked around the room, and his eyes briefly landed on Hikari. "There were some of you who did well, and others, who did not."

"Yeah, I figured it would be something like that," Naruto said as he shook his head. "That's why I kept my cool."

"The first nine questions were difficult, in fact too difficult for any Genin to be expected to solve."

_"Well, I have better tell everyone I cheated the entire time…"_ Hikari thought as she looked around with a frown.

"I imagine that most of you came to the conclusion that you'd have to cheat to pass. The fact is, the test was designed to encourage cheating, it almost demanded it. Of course, it would have done you little good if you had no one to cheat from. So, I disguised two Chuunin, who already knew the answers, and had them sit among you."

_"This test could be dangerous if they figure out that I didn't cheat,"_ Hikari thought looking down at the sheet. _"They'll know I am over Genin level. But what are the odds that they know I didn't cheat? The way I solved the problems, maybe. But if I take the sheet, they will know I took my test. Look, I will leave it here and just say I got the answers from someone else and altered them to look like my own, to discourage the thought of me cheating when they're marking."_

"Those who were caught at it, failed. Better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily." Ibiki took off his headband. "Information, it can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather intelligence can be the difference between a successful mission or one that fails." Hikari's eyes widened when she saw his head, it was full of scars and ugly looking veins. "There will be times you have to risk your life to get it."

"Man what a mess," Sasuke said quietly. "Scares, puncture holes and burn marks? What he must have endured."

"Of course you must always consider the source of your information," Ibiki commented as he put his headband back on. "Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. Always bear this in mind, disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades, or the loss of a village. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather accurate intelligence. Cheat, in order to survive, that's why those who weren't good enough at it were weeded it out, leaving the rest of you."

"Ok…but, I'm still not getting what the tenth question thing is all about," Temari said.

"You're not? The tenth question was the main part of the whole exam. Surely you see that."

Hikari nodded to herself, understanding the role of the question.

"Sure, but explain it anyway," Sakura spoke out.

"As I said before, the goal was to test you not only as individuals, but as a team too. The final question gave you two choices," Ibiki said holding up his fingers, "both difficult, you could choose to play it safe and leave even though it meant that both you and your team mates would fail. Or, you could try and answer it, knowing if you got it wrong you would lose your chance of ever being Chuunin. It was a no-win situation."

"Hold on," Hikari said as she stretched. "Doesn't that mean the people who left technically got the question wrong and therefore never get to try and be a Chuunin?"

Ibiki smirked but did not answer her question.

"Well, it sucks to be them," Hikari said aloud with a sigh.

"This is the sort of pressure Chuunin have to experience every day. There will be many missions that seem almost suicidal if you think about it, however, you do not think about it. You only think of the goal and how you can achieve it through courage and discipline." Ibiki paused as he looked around the entire classroom. "These are the qualities required of a Chuunin squad-leader. Those who choose the safer of two paths, those who falter in the face of adversity, and those who would put their comrade's lives in jeopardy while worrying about themselves are not Chuunin. However, you have all successfully answered the ten question, you have passed this exam."

Hikari smiled to herself as she looked around the room.

_"Everyone made it," _she thought with a grin. _"The rookies are making an impact this year. I wonder that if I stayed home and never did this mission, if I would have come here to participate in these exams for a different mission. I would have been someone completely different and met everyone in another way…weird." _

"I hereby declare this part of the Chuunin Selection Exam completed. There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck."

"ALRIGHT!" Naruto screamed. "WE DID IT! THAT'S ONE DOWN!"

Hikari sighed and smiled.

_"He never changes…"_

Hikari jumped when she heard shattering glass and looked up to the front of the room, startled. Someone hung up a banner without being seen, however, Ibiki didn't seem to be surprised by whoever it was.

"Head's up, boys and girls, this is no time to be celebrating!" Hikari eyed the woman at the front of the room curiously. "I'll be your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi." Hikari's eyes widened.

"Ready for the second test? Good, let's go. Follow me!"


	21. Chapter XVIII

_**Chapter XVIII:**_

"First thing in the morning?" Hikari shrieked when she set foot outside of the academy.

"Why not wait a week? Or, at least, a day or two?"

Sasuke chuckled at her reaction.

"What? You scared?" he asked playfully.

"Shut up, Sasuke, if you know what's good for you," Hikari said as her brow twitched.

"I am not required to serve your every demand," he said with a shrug. "In case you weren't smart enough to get that, I said no."

"You're an ass," Hikari said as she looked him directly in the eyes.

"Matter of opinion," he retorted with a cocky smirk.

"Oh my god! You're so frustrating!" she fumed as she lightly hit his chest with her free hand. "Don't you know you're not supposed to annoy me?"

"I wasn't aware of that rule, but I find it hypocritical…"

"Just shut up!" Hikari said with a groan. "I just had to take the most stressful test of my life, ever! I don't need you strutting around saying 'look at me, I am the great Sasuke Uchiha! Love me!'"

"I do _not_ talk like that," Sasuke hissed as he looked her way with a glare.

"Okay, you don't," Hikari said with a sigh. "But you can be so egotistical and narcissistic!"

"It's not my fault I am better than you," he said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

Hikari rolled her eyes and Sasuke smirked as they continued to walk. Hikari tried to pay no mind to Sakura and Ino, who she knew were trailing behind her and Sasuke. She thought they were trying to spy or maybe kill her when Sasuke wasn't watching, because she dared to walk next to him on the way home. The thought made her weary of them.

…

Hikari waved at Sasuke from her door, smiling at him. He held up his hand and waved before he turned around and began to make his way home. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and Hikari watched him until he disappeared from her sight. She shut the front door and then turned towards the kitchen and dining room.

"Kakashi!" Hikari yelled as she threw her bag down. Kakashi emerged from behind the corner and she smiled as she tackled-hugged him. "Guess what!?"

"You passed?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes!" she said happily. "I thought I was in so much trouble! But I did fine!"

"That's good," he said happily. "I'm glad you did well. You're going to have to work hard, however."

"I know!" Hikari ran into the kitchen and found herself some food. "I am going to eat and then go to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow."

"Good idea," Kakashi said with his signature closed-eyed smile. "See you tomorrow, Hikari."

…

"Your father wants a report, Hikari."

"What are you doing here?" Hikari spat when she turned around from the mirror in her room and came face to face with her father's henchman.

"I am here for a report. Do you have one filed?" he asked as he slyly leaned against her dresser. Hikari rolled her eyes as she walked to her mattress and picked it up, using her other hand to retrieve the brown envelope.

"Here," she said as she shoved it into her hands. "I am finally starting to get somewhere with this, gaining trust and talking to people who may point me in the right direction, it shouldn't be too much longer. I am going to find out who it is before the last stage of the exams and then make sure I fight them. They will die there. Now get out," she demanded as she turned away from him.

"Na-uh, wait a minute," he said in a tone that really made Hikari want to punch his lights out. "Tell me about the Genin. As you know, your father's always looking for more powerful subjects to take out; I need names."

Hikari glared.

"What do you want to know, you annoying weasel?"

"Watch it," he said as he narrowed his eyes. "Do not get on my bad side."

"Or what?" Hikari snapped as she turned around. "You'll hurt me. Ah, I'm so scared!"

"Hikari," he said with narrowed eyes, "do you want your father to find out about the boy you're hanging around with? And don't tell me you're just using him for information…I have been watching you."

Hikari's eyes widened.

"How do you know about that?" she asked in a shaken tone. Tension suddenly appeared in the room, tension so thick it was like she could slice it in two with a butter knife.

"Hikari, Hikari," he said with a smirk. "I know everything you do. I see everything, because I have to be your father's eyes."

"Leave Sasuke out of this," she demanded with a glare.

"So it's Sasuke Uchiha, is it?" he said with a glint in his eyes that made Hikari very unnerved. "Hikari, you had better watch your step. You may be starting to make progress, but you're still taking too long. You're walking a very thin line."

Hikari glared at him, her eyes reflecting intense hate. He smiled and then crossed his arms.

"You wouldn't want your father to use other means to convince you to hurry up, now would you? Because Sasuke Uchiha could always have an accident in the exams too."

Hikari released the breath she had been holding when he disappeared from her room.

_"I need to talk to Hoshi, somewhere secluded." _

…

"Uh…" Sora muttered as he looked towards Hikari. "This proctor is a little strange, isn't she?"

"No, not at all," Hikari said in a drawl. "Seeing as she just cut open Naruto's cheek, licked it, and then took a kunai that someone handed to her with their tongue. I don't see _anything_ strange about her…"

"Everyone here seems a bit spunky, don't they?" Sora asked as he looked around.

"I would call it ill-tempered…"

"Ah, tomato, tomato," Sora said with a shrug.

"I wouldn't say that spunky and ill-tempered mean the same thing at all, in fact I would say they're opposites…" Hikari said with a raised brow as she looked at her team mate. "Now shush up; I'm trying to listen to this proctor."

"Before we begin this test I have something to hand out to you all," Anko said as she pulled a stack of papers out of her jacket. "It's just a standard consent form. Before the test, all of you will have to read over this form and then sign it."

"What for?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Some of you may not come back, and I have to get your consent to that risk. Otherwise, it would be my responsibility." Anko started to laugh to herself.

"Yup, Sora, she's totally not weird," Hikari said as she shook her head.

"Now that we're past the information about the consent forms, I will explain what you will be doing on this test," Anko said with as she handed the sheets to Naruto. "Here, hand these out to everyone." Naruto nodded and took the forms from the proctor's hands. "First thing you need to know is that this will test every one of your survival skills." Hikari took her sheet and then looked it over.

"It's like signing our lives away."

"Heh, no kidding," Sora said with a frown.

"We knew what we were getting into when we decided to enter," Hoshi said quietly.

"Yeah I know," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes. "But you think they'd at least chill out a bit."

"The test consists of," Anko continued as she pulled two scrolls from within her jacket, "an 'anything goes' battle to get your hands on these scrolls."

"Both of them?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, you'll be fighting to get a heaven and an earth scroll." She paused as she looked around. "Overall, twenty-eight teams will be taking part in this test. Half will be going after the heaven scroll and the other half, the earth."

"So, okay?" Sasuke asked as he looked at her. "How do we pass the test?"

"Your entire squad will bring both a heaven and an earth scroll to the tower."

"That means, at the very best, half of us will fail," Sakura said aloud as she looked through the crowd.

"No one ever said it would be easy," Anko said as if Sakura was dumb. "Oh, and that reminds me. One more thing, the test has a time limit. You must have both scrolls at the tower in five days."

"Five days out there!?"

"WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO FOR FOOD!?" Chouji asked as if he was dying.

"Just look around," Anko said with a shrug. "The forest has plenty of things to feed all of you." Hikari sighed in relief; she had her backpack and she had brought some small foods, just in case.

"There are also some ways you can get disqualified," Anko said in a drawl. "One, if a squad cannot make it to the tower with both scrolls at the end of the five days. Two, if a squad member dies or is incapacitated and cannot carry on, and finally, and the most important, three, none of you may look at the contents of the scrolls until you reach the tower."

"It's a test of integrity," Hoshi whispered to the team. Hikari nodded in agreement.

"Makes sense, sometimes missions involve carrying secret documents," Hikari whispered back.

"Okay, we're done. Each team, take your consent forms and trade them for your scrolls."

"There are certain teams we're not going to mess with," Hikari said as she looked around.

"Sasuke's team?" Sora asked in an annoyed tone.

"No, the sand-shinobi, you prick," Hikari said with a glare as she looked at him. "They're dangerous." Hikari looked around. "I'm just going to wish team-seven good luck. I'll be back."

"Hurry," Hoshi said as he watched Hikari run towards the rock she had seen Sasuke behind.

"Hey," she said with a smile. "I just wanted to say good luck, Sasuke."

He looked up at her and then motioned for her to sit next to him.

"What do you think?" he asked looking around.

"Eh, it's just going to be like a normal mission. I think this may even be less stressful than the written part, assuming that nothing goes wrong." Hikari looked around and then back at Sasuke. "I came to offer you a truths; I won't attack you if you leave my team be." Sasuke nodded. "I'll also give you heads up if we happen to see each other. Don't die, ok?"

He blinked as he looked up at her with a quirked brow.

"Well, it's just that you're my friend and you help me with my training, so if you died that would suck," she explained with a frown as she crossed her arms. "You keep me on my toes, Uchiha. I like the challenge. So don't die, got it?"

"Yeah, and the same goes for you."

…

"While everyone moves now, we'll strike tonight," Hikari said as her team settled at the edge of the forest from gate eighteen.

"Wow, we're playing dirty…" Sora said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Someone find me an animal," Hikari said as she looked around. "Anything that's fast will do, I will find us some prey." Hoshi jumped behind a log and then returned with a jack rabbit held in his hands. "That's perfect. Now let's just hope no one can smell blood from a mile away…" Hikari sliced open her palm and made the blood run into the animal until she controlled its brain. "Chirinku no Jutsu!" After a moment, Hikari's could see through the rabbit's eyes, but no longer her own. "Perfect, I can see out of its eyes. Let it go, Hoshi. I am going to make it scout now. No one will suspect a bunny, which will give us a little bit of an advantage. I have its eyesight and other senses, so, I can hopefully sniff out a team. Make sure to protect me because I won't see or hear anyone coming."

Hoshi and Sora nodded to themselves as he let go of the rabbit and it hopped into the woods.

…

"Ok, we should head out. This group seems to be sound asleep, they just collapsed and they have a few barrier jutsu around them," Hikari said as she stood up and stretched out her stiff muscles. "Listen up, if someone attacks us we cannot hesitate to kill them."

"I agree," Hoshi said as he looked at Hikari. "I also think we need some way of identifying ourselves in case of an intruder."

"Good idea," Sora piped in. "Let's make some kind of password."

"Ok, so how about Asami's pink hair?" Hikari said with a shrug, "to correspond to the question, 'what's your favourite colour?'"

"That's fine," Hoshi said with a nod. "Most people would try to be vague about it."

"Ok," Hikari said as she looked around. "Let's go get their Earth scroll."

After the two other team mates nodded, they quickly jumped into the bushes, planning to attack from three different angles.

_"Hikari when we get close, use your jutsu to hold them down."_ Hikari nodded to Hoshi's voice. She knew she couldn't respond, but she also knew that he was aware she wouldn't intentionally disobey an order unless the outcome meant capture, or worse.

As the three drew near the camp, Hikari made herself come to a stop, looking around before she drew a kunai from her holder and then cut open her arm, letting blood ooze from the stinging wound and drip onto the ground. As soon as the thick red droplets touched the dirt, they shot off towards their targets, trying to get to the camp before anyone else did.

_"I need to heal this cut, meaning the blood that I sent out isn't retrievable. I have never had to do this before, but I can't afford to be weakened at a time like this…"_ Hikari brought her glowing hand to the cut that was still oozing blood and then healed it over when she accelerated the pace of its healing. Hikari crouched into a running position and then with one last look at her surroundings, she took off into the woods, jumping from tree to tree as swiftly and silently as she could manage.

As she approached the camp, Hoshi and Sora suddenly appeared in front of her, Hoshi had his fist raised to signal her to stop. She lifted a thin brow at his behavior, but he pointed to his ear and then the camp. She looked up and focused on listening.

"Don't move guys, I can sense a small amount of chakra nearby."

"Chakra?"

"Yeah. It's not a person, but it's most likely a trap."

"Can you sniff it out, Hanamaru?"

"Yeah, it's coming from this blood, over here." Hikari could hear the curiosity in his voice and she smiled.

"I don't know, it looks old, Hanamaru," someone said to him, "it's probably just from an animal or something."

"I'm telling you this is its source! See, it's not old? It wipes right onto my finger."

"Shush! You're going to wake Haru up and he won't be happy."

"You're right…" Hikari knew it was the perfect moment to strike, she made the blood fling towards the men and travel straight into their bodies.

"AAHHHHHH!"

"What!? What is it now you two?" after a moment of silence, another scream sounded.

"That's all of them," Hikari whispered. "They're under my control now." Hoshi, Hikari and Sora walked out of the forest's cover and into the clearing.

"It looks like these rookie Genin kicked your asses," Sora said with a smirk. "It's too bad for you."

"Give me your scroll…" Hikari demanded with a light glare.

"NO!" one of the men yelled, she recognised him as the man named Hanamaru.

"Oh, but you don't have a choice. Hand it over."

Hanamaru's eyes widened when his hand started to move on its own.

"Okay! Okay!" he yelled as he jerked his hand down and into his ninja pouch. He threw the scroll at Sora, who caught it.

"Damn, it's a Heaven scroll…" Sora mumbled as he tossed it in between his hands.

"I thought you said they had an Earth scroll, Hikari?" Hikari looked at Hoshi with a smirk.

"They do…" Hikari directed her attention to the group of three men again. "Give me your _other _scroll."

Hanamaru's eyes widened when his hand started to reach again and then took out the scroll.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, HANAMARU!?"

"I-I can't stop myself!" the other man looked up at Hikari.

"You witch!"

"Witch?" Hikari asked as she caught the scroll Hanamaru threw to her. "I prefer to think I am clever." Hikari looked towards Sora and then nodded. "Keep that Heaven scroll, it could be useful."

Hoshi walked forwards and took another scroll from the man named Haru.

"Now we have an extra set…it looks like these guys already took someone a couple of scrolls from other teams. They had two of each," Hoshi explained. "It's rude to hoard things to yourself."

"Inku no Jutsu!" Sora said as he formed his handsigns. He looked towards Hikari. "They might scream."

Hikari nodded as all three of her group jumped away and into the forest; abandoning the group for good.

…

"We have to hide these," Hoshi said as he folded his arm.

"I'm already on it," Hikari said as she bit her finger and then started to draw a symbol on the ground. "Give me the scrolls, but keep the extra set with one of you." Sora nodded as he handed Hikari the scrolls. She placed them in the center of the symbol and then started to make hand signs.

"Reversal technique, Kichiyose no Jutsu!"

_"Reversal summoning?"_ Hoshi asked, mentally. _"So you're sending it to the plain that your summons exist on, very handy…"_

Hikari nodded as she kicked dirt over the symbol.

"Let's make our way to the tower…"

"I have something to ask you," Sora said as he looked at her seriously. "All your blood abilities…they're not just liquid manipulation is it? It's Kekki Genkai…" Hikari briefly looked into his eyes.

"Yes it is, I haven't the slightest clue as to who in my family was a ninja, or when they were. But yes, it's a Kekki Genkai and I would prefer no one else knows about it," Hikari said seriously, choosing not to lie to her team mates. "Asami's found someone to teach me in their spare time and they taught me a few simple tricks."

"Why don't you want anyone to know?" Sora asked as he tilted his head to a side.

"Because its healing abilities would give people false hopes. It's a temporary fix, not a cure."

"I see," Hoshi said with a nod. "We swear to keep it to ourselves."

"Thank you for understanding…" Hikari paused. "I'm just finally getting good at using it. I had to extensively research my last name and what the jutsu is. That's why I know all the abilities and technique names." Hikari shook her head. "But never mind that, we're wasting time. Let's get to the tower."

"Right!" Sora said as he fist pumped the air. "Oh, this is going to be so cool!"


	22. Chapter XIX

_**Chapter XIX:**_

"Hey, Hikari," Sora whispered as they walked. "Isn't that Lee over there?" Hikari looked up from the ground with a brow raised and looked over to her side. Her eyes widened when she saw Lee on the ground and a sound-shinobi standing over him.

"We have to help him! That's Dousu!" Hikari yelled as she turned towards her team. "Lee doesn't stand a chance against sound-shinobi! Look at him now!"

"Hikari we shouldn't get involved," Hoshi said with a frown.

"We have to!"

Before Hoshi could grab the girl, she ran out into the bushes, however, her eyes widened when she saw Sakura behind Lee. Sakura was being held with her hair by a female sound-shinobi. Hikari swallowed her fear when all three of the dangerous shinobi looked up at her.

"Look at what we have here, more pests…" Zaku said with a smirk. "Oh, and I recognise one too."

"Zaku," Dousu said in a warning tone, "do not touch her."

"Oh, but come on, I want to test the legendary Hikari Koizumi. After all we've heard all about her feats, I want to see how tough she is."

"Back off," Hikari snarled.

"Or what?"

"I'll kill you."

"Let's see you try," he said with a smirk as he crouched into a fighting position.

"Zaku!" Dousu yelled. "You have other prey. Leave these runts until after the Uchiha is dead."

"Right…" Hikari's eyes widened as she looked and saw Sasuke on the ground, unconscious.

"W-What happened to him?"

"Sasuke!" Sakura screamed.

"Hey, Zaku," Kin said with a smile as she tightened her grip on Sakura's hair, "I know what would be fun; why don't we make Ms. Beauty-Queen watch why you finish off that Sasuke guy!"

"Alright, sounds fine to me."

"Don't touch him!" Hikari shrieked as she ran towards Zaku with a kunai drawn.

"Oh, it looks like I have to deal with her," Zaku said with a smile. "I'm so sorry Dousu."

"Quickly, Zaku."

Hikari brought the Kunai to her arm and sliced it open, allowing her blood to flow, she did not try to hide her greatest asset when Sasuke and Sakura were in such danger. Even if this wasn't her village, these people were still good to her. She wouldn't let them die.

"Sorry, that won't work on me!" Zaku said with a smile. "You see, I know the flaw of that jutsu, I just have to block every opening to my body with a chakra barrier. It's too bad for you!" Hikari did not let the information faze her, despite how hopeless it seemed, she still charged towards him with the intent to kill.

"Chi-kesshou no Jutsu!" Hikari yelled. The blood flowing down her arm started to harden and crystallise.

"You had better watch out, Zaku, if she hits you with that arm, you're toast…"

Hikari glared as she ran and aimed a punch at his chest but he smirked when he threw his hand forwards and a blast of air knocked her hand back. Hikari's eyes widened when he took a swipe for her head. She jumped back and shook off the crystal, allowing her blood to flow in-between her fingers.

"Chi-kesshou Senbon!" Hikari launched four scarlet red shards from both of her hands, despite being infused with her chakra, even they couldn't get past his sound blast. Hikari glared as she brought her hands together.

Hikari glared as she stopped a moment to think. If she tried to get close, Zaku would only blast her back. If she tried to use her Kekki Genkai, Zaku could block it. She could try to forcibly inject it into his system by cutting him with a kunai infected with her blood, but that still require proximity.

_"I need to play with his barriers and figure out a blind-spot or a weakness," Hikari thought as she began to do hand-signs. _

"I guess you guys get to see the Ninjutsu that Asami, Kakashi, and Iruka have taught me," Hikari said quietly as she began to focus her chakra. "Water release: Mizu-ryuu!" Hikari yelled as she threw her arms in front of her. From the river, just behind the trees, a giant wave of water came towards Zaku in the shape of a dragon. The water smashed into Zaku and she had enough control to make it change its shape until he was surrounded by a sphere.

_"I will use my home village's element from within the water," _she thought with all the seriousness she felt reflecting onto her face. _"They won't see a thing."_Hikari jumped in the center of it and had it surround just the two of them. "It's just us now…" Her voice was a whisper.

"Trying to distort the sound?" he asked with a howl of laughter. "That's pathetic, I can still blast you!" Hikari snarled through the pain as the blast hit her and sent her flying out of the water wave; it seemed as if she would not be able to go through with her plan after all.

Without much thought to the matter, she shakily stood and changed her plan. Hikari used her chakra to make the water around Zaku more compressed to the point where Zaku felt like hundreds of pounds were weighing down on him from every direction, crushing him.

"Water release: Keji no Kori!"

The water started to freeze around him, leaving him in the centre with no air. Hikari panted as she leaned over and held herself up by her knees. "I'm almost out of chakra, those were really large jutsu. I rushed into it, but I still have enough chakra for one or two more!"

Hikari looked as the ice stated to crack and crumble.

"Get down!" she yelled as she hit the ground, just in time to avoid flying chunks of ice from Zaku's blast. "How did you get out of that?"

"Because every jutsu has a flaw," he said with a triumphant smirk.

Hikari yelled out loudly and ran towards him, planning to kill him by any means possible. She was becoming desperate, she couldn't think of any way to get close to him. The only option left was the beat a way through.

"Use the device he gave you to use against her, Zaku," Dousu said as he crossed his arms. "We don't have time for this, drain her chakra and be done with it. We're supposed to leave her alive."

Zaku rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I got it," he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Kunai that had multiple symbols carved into its surface.

When Hikari got close to him, she was a storm of punches and kicks, but he spotted a weakness in her; she didn't protect her ribs. Zaku launched a strong kick and sent her flying, and then threw the kunai at her, watching it imbed into her stomach. Hikari let out a scream as the knife sent shocks through her body. She crashed into the ground, landing as she skidded through the dirt. She could feel the electric pulse draining every ounce of strength from her cells. Her chakra was disappearing faster than she could register. "Sora, now!" Hoshi yelled as he watched Hikari with widened eyes. "Attack now!"

"Inku no Jutsu!" Sora yelled, but before he could do his handsigns, Zaku blasted him and it sent him into bushes, where one sharp rock pierced his shoulder and he hit his head off of another.

Hikari forced herself to her feet, yanking the cursed knife from her gut that had sealed away her chakra within it. She ran towards Sora, trying to ignore the pain in her ribs.

"Hikari, no!" Hoshi yelled. "Don't do it, they drained all of your chakra!"

"I have to!" she yelled. "It's my fault."

"I don't think so, little girl."

Hikari's eyes widened when Dousu appeared in front of her. Fear shot up her spine as it fogged over her mind and froze her where she stood; she was powerless, had no way to protect herself, forgot how to fight. He threw his arm forwards and she took in a sharp intake of air, but she never felt the punch. A feeling of relief hit her when she realised that his jutsu didn't work and she smiled as she looked at him triumphantly. The feeling didn't last.

Hikari gasped and held her head that had exploded with such suddenly pain that it made her fall to her knees. A harsh scream irrupted through her lips and her ears began to bleed.

"You destroyed her eardrums…" Zaku said. "How cruel…"

Dousu kicked her towards Zaku.

"Knock her out but don't kill her. Maybe next time she will learn to listen…"

Hikari's eyes widened when she saw Zaku's fist coming towards her face.

The pain was instant. Hikari felt the tears rush as she crawled within herself and took the sting with a numb sensation; she hadn't been so weak in a long time, not since she had failed her last mission. Hikari coughed out blood when Zaku stepped on her chest and twisted his foot. When she looked up at him, she saw her father staring at her, laughing at her.

"Look at you now; you're crawling in the dirt! Not so tough, huh!?"

Hikari shakily reached up and grabbed his leg. She couldn't hear what he was saying but she could feel the pain he was inflicting as he repeatedly kicked her side. It hurt so much; her ribs were past being on fire. It was agony.

"S-stop!" she pleaded. "Just s-stop!"

"No, you wanted to be the tough guy," he yelled as he picked her up by the collar. "Well, someone has to put you in your place and I am glad to do the honour!"

"HIKARI!" Sakura screamed as Zaku began to beat on the sobbing girl again; it was a cry on deaf ears, there was no one there to help her.

"Don't move!" Kin yelled as she pulled on the girl's bubblegum-pink hair.

Zaku picked Hikari up and then threw her towards the trees. She skidding across the ground and rolled until her back painfully dug into a rock, all she could do was lay there. She wasn't even sure if she could get up anymore. Hoshi ran towards Sora and grabbed him and then ran towards Hikari.

"G-Get S-Sora out of here," she moaned as she opened her one eye that wasn't swollen. "Take my bag an-and treat his wounds. I-I'll be fine, he's in trouble though." Hikari was forced to pause because it hurt to talk. She forced herself to take a deep breath but then cried out in pain as her lungs pressed against her broken ribs. "I-I just got b-beat up…"

Hoshi was hesitant to follow her request but before he had the chance to think it over, Dousu landed in front of him and used the same jutsu he had used on Hikari. Hoshi's eyes slid closed and he fell next to Hikari holding his head in pain.

"H-Hoshi!"

Despite wanting so desperately to help her comrades, Hikari couldn't hold her eyes open anymore; the pain, consumed her entire body. It caused so much fear she couldn't handle it. She hated pain, she hated feeling broken. Hikari blinked and tried to hear what was going on around her, but as Zaku had said, both of her ears were completely unable to perceive sound. Everything throbbed and tears blurred her vision. Before she could do anything to fight it, everything went dark.

…

Hikari's eyes opened slowly and adjusted to the light. She wasn't aware of where she was, however, when she realised that she couldn't hear the trees above her sway with the wind, or the birds chirping, she remembered everything.

"Sora, Hoshi!" she looked to her side and saw her two team mates unconscious. She crawled over to them and rearranged her face in pain when she twisted the wrong way. When she checked her side, however, she noticed that her body had already healed the bones of her ribs and now they were just severally bruised. This was good news for her, it meant she had chakra again. How her ribs had been set properly was beyond her. It was a nagging worry at the back of her mind, however, it one that she chose to ignore.

Hikari reached into Hoshi's pouch and took a food pill. She sighed with relief when she felt her chakra spike. She turned as she leaned over Sora and yanked the rock from his back. She used it to cut open her thumb and then tried to heal his wound. As she located the swelling tissue in his brain, she accelerated his healing. Trying to concentrate made her head fog and her eyesight blur. She was pushing her limit.

Hikari crawled over to Hoshi next and fixed his ears. After she checked him for any other additional injuries and found none, she healed her own ears.

"Hikari!" Hikari looked up and saw the same brown-haired Kunoichi that she often saw Hoshi with in the village. "Is Hoshi okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I just fixed him up…" Hikari let out a sigh pass through her lips as she realised her hearing was fully working, she was extremely grateful that she was able to heal it in the first place. "Please, do you have water?"

"Yes, here," the girl said as she handed her a canister. "Thank goodness," she said with a sigh. "By the way, my name's Tenten." Hikari nodded and then took several large gulps of the water, feeling so desperate for relief. She closed the cap and then handed it back to Tenten with a thankful smile. "Well, I had better go help Lee, thank you, for trying to help him."

"It was no issue…" Hikari said as she looked around. She spotted Sasuke and smiled when she realised he was safe. "I look pretty bad don't I?"

Tenten sadly smiled.

"Sakura told me you really got beat up by that Zaku guy…"

"What happened? I blacked out after I couldn't take anymore…"

"Sasuke woke up…" Tenten said quietly. "He saw Sakura and got really angry but that was nothing compared to when he saw you. I thought he was going to murder every single one of those sound ninja in cold blood. He kind of mumbled about how afraid you must have been, but then went berserk. He broke Zaku's arms, but before he could do anymore damage, Sakura managed to stop him…" Tenten looked towards Sasuke. "His chakra was unreal. It felt dark but powerful."

Hikari frowned as she looked towards Sasuke. She sighed as she brought her hand to her head and tried to heal some of the damage.

"That's amazing. You're a medical Genin? You should help Sakura too; Zaku beat her up pretty badly." Hikari nodded. "I'm going to go help Lee, thanks again for trying to help him."

Hikari watched as she jumped in front of Ino and she sighed.

Hikari turned back to her team mates and focused on trying to heal them enough that they would be able to wake.

"Are you ok?" she turned to see Sasuke.

"Yeah, I think, they really knocked me for a loop. However, it's not like I haven't endured it before…" she said with a nervous laugh.

"Don't joke like that…" Sasuke knelt in front of her and touched her face lightly. "You told me that you are afraid of physical pain…how bad was it?"

"I…" Hikari looked down at her feet. "I don't want to talk about that."

"We need to talk, let's go somewhere with less people…" Sasuke gave Hikari a questioning stare but followed her anyways.

…

"What happened to your team? Why were you and Naruto out cold?" Sasuke sat down next to Hikari with a sigh.

"We were attacked by a grass ninja. However, he revealed himself as someone named Orochimaru after…" Hikari's eyes widened as she slowly turned to look at Sasuke.

"O-Orochimaru was here?" Hikari shook her head. "Did he do anything to you?"

"How did you know?" Sasuke asked quietly as he touched his neck. Hikari felt her heart crash and sink in her chest, with just that gesture, she knew what had happened.

She looked around the area and then turned away from Sasuke. She sat so her back was facing him and then started to unlace her shirt.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Hikari scowled. "I'm showing you something."

Hikari allowed her shirt to fall from her shoulders and let Sasuke gaze at the mark placed right between her shoulder blades.

"That mark…" She felt Sasuke lightly brush his finger tips on it. "It's the same as mine, isn't it?"

"It's called the Heaven curse-mark. It's powerful but it's only something that snake lends for a little while, after about bout two years, he calls in your debt…"

"Debt?"

"Anyone with the Heaven curse-mark has been dubbed worthy of being Orochimaru's pawn…"

"When was it placed on you?"

"I have had the mark since I was twelve. It's kept well under check. I won't let it control me." Her words came across Sasuke as extremely bitter.

"Do you know why he did it?"

"He was interested in my Kekki Genkai…" Hikari trailed off. "He wants my power."

After a moment of silence, Sasuke dropped the subject and then focused on her mark again. His eyes drifted to the off coloured and smooth patch of skin that stretched in blotches over her shoulder blade. Sasuke's hand trailed over the scarred flesh and a shiver ran through her body; the nerves under that particular section of her skin had never worked right.

"What happened?"

"I got burned," Hikari said as she shrugged his hand off and pulled her shirt up. She re-laced it and then stretched. Hikari turned around so she faced Sasuke again. She watched with curiosity as he lifted his hand and lightly touched one of the bruises on her face.

"I'll kill him," he muttered.

"There is no need," she said with a shrug. "It will heal."

"When I came to and saw you passed out," Sasuke started as he stared at her face, "I thought you were dead. The horror I felt when I saw you laying there so still…I…"

"I'm fine," she told him lightly.

"That's not the point," he said as he looked her dead in the eye. "You told me you were afraid of pain like that…"

"It was tough," Hikari admitted as her eyes fell to look at her knees.

"Hikari-"

"You don't have to worry about me," she said quietly as her hands that rested on her knees tightened into fists. "I can handle things myself; you don't have to feel like you have some kind of obligation to help me just because I told you about my father. Yes, I was beaten and battered as a girl whenever I did something wrong, but that doesn't mean I need your pity."

Sasuke slipped his fingers under her chin and made her look him in the eyes. "You think pity is what I feel?" He saw Hikari's brows pull in confusion and he smirked at her expression; dare he think he even found it kind of cute. "You can be so stupid sometimes."

Sasuke leaned towards her until his breath was fanning across her lips. He could tell by the colour of her cheeks that she was nervous with him being that close. He liked making her heart beat faster and he liked the idea that he had never seen a look like that on her face about anyone but himself. With a smirk gracing his lips, he closed the distance between them and kissed her, making her eyes shoot open wide. Sasuke thought that she might struggle against him due to her surprise, but instead of thrashing against him to try and stop his lips, he was greeted with her complete compliance. Hikari found herself sinking into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, digging her fingers in his hair that was still soft despite the fact that he had spent several days in the woods. Hikari wasn't sure what this kiss meant, but she didn't want to trouble herself with the thought. All she knew is that Sasuke was showing her some kind of feelings for her.

When they pulled apart, Hikari was blushing wildly, and Sasuke smirked triumphantly to himself. He was sure that the look made her blush even more. With a sigh, the Uchiha leaned forwards until his forehead reached the junction of her collarbone and neck and then buried his head there, breathing in the scent of the forest that clung to her.

"I'm just glad you're safe, Hikari."


	23. Chapter XX

_**Chapter XX: **_

"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam."

Hikari stood in a line-up of all the Genin that had survived the exercise in the forest, Hoshi in front of her and Sora behind. All of the proctors and the Hokage stood at the front of the room, looking seriously at the group. Hikari felt nervous, like something wasn't right.

_"They must have known about what happened in the forest between Sasuke and Orochimaru…why aren't they going to any measures to protect him?" _Hikari thought with a frown upon her lips. _"They must have been watching to make sure no one opened the scrolls, so why aren't they reacting…this is not adding up." _

Hikari looked at Sasuke, who stood next to her in the second row of Genin, and tried to smile reassuringly at him. She had no doubt in her mind that Sasuke was probably very troubled about what happened in the forest. She knew the darkness that was Orochimaru, she knew the way it felt when the power from the curse leaked into her very bones. Hikari knew that even though Sasuke stood still and calm, he was probably a chaotic mess on the inside, constantly fighting with the mark.

Hikari shook her head and then put a smile on her lips, trying to lift his spirits. "Good luck, Mr. Uchiha, but if we fight, I'm not going to lose."

Sasuke smirked as he looked at her. Hikari felt a small amount of relief when the thought came to her that maybe she had helped take his mind off of the trouble, even if was just for a few seconds. That was enough to slightly ease her mind.

"I'm afraid I cannot say any differently," Sasuke said as he looked her directly in the eyes. "I need to win this." Hikari nodded as she reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it before letting go again.

"I understand your ambition, but be careful," she warned in a whisper. "It will try to take over whenever you're weakened."

"I know," he said with a nod. "I will take caution."

"I'm just glad you're okay now," Hikari said with a small sigh. "Losing you in that forest would have been awful."

Sasuke nodded at her and then looked back towards the proctors again when they began to clear their throats. Hikari felt eyes boring into her back and then turned around to see Ino glaring at her. She rolled her eyes and then turned back to the front, giving her no retaliation to her petty jealousy.

_"Only ten teams out of twenty-eight are left; that's a lot more than I expected…"_ Hikari thought as she took one last sweep of the room with her eyes. _"I thought about five would be left at the end of this…" _

"Alright now, pay attention!" Anko called. "Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam. You had better listen carefully, maggots."

The old man stepped forwards with a smile on his face.

"First, before I tell you about what the third exam entails, I want to tell you about the test itself. Listen closely now, it's something that all of you need to understand," the Hokage said after he cleared his throat and put on a serious face. "I am going to tell you the true purpose of these exams. Why do you suppose this country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies? To raise the ability levels of the Shinobi and increase friendship between allied nations to be sure, but it's important that you understand its true meaning…"

_"Get on with it, old man…"_ Hikari thought impatiently. _"I just want to go home and sleep." _

"The exams are, so to speak, a representation of a battle between allied nations." The Hokage looked around the room. "Now, if we look at our history, all the countries we're currently allied with were once neighbouring nations that continuously fought with each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each other's military force, meaninglessly, those nations chose champions to do battle on behalf of their countries in a mutually selected location. That was how the Chuunin Selection Exams originally began."

"Well, that's great, but why do we have to go through these exams then?" Naruto asked as he looked towards the Hokage. "I mean, it's not like we're doing this to pick Chuunin to go fight."

"There is no doubt that this exam still exist to pick Shinobi worthy of becoming Chuunin, however, these exams are also a place where Shinobi can carry the pride of their nations on their backs and fight against other ninja for their very lives. Many people of prominence from different nations are invited as guests to the final exam, possibly to seek shinobi to work for them. This exam could determine the course of your careers as Shinobi from here on out, and more importantly, those rulers will watch your performance and take note of each Shinobi and the strengths each nation is developing."

_"That makes a lot of sense,"_ Hikari thought with a nod of her head. _"Naruto better start working extra hard from here on out…if he want to be Hokage, he had better impress everyone at this final test." _

"If there is a gap between the countries, the strong nations are inundated with job requests for their ninja and the stronger our nation is, the better it is when it comes to negotiating with neighbouring countries," the Hokage continued. "So, it's important to show how much military strength our village has. This is a custom in which balance is preserved; fighting and dying, in the word of the Shinobi, that is friendship." the Hokage paused. "The third exam is a fight for your life with the pride of your village and your own dreams at stake."

"Any test is fine," Gaara said in a menacing tone. "Just tell me the details of the exam, already. I can handle anything you throw at me."

"Very well then!" the Hokage called as he nodded. "Now listen closely, I'm going to be telling you what each of you will be doing on the third exam."

Before the Hokage could continue, a ninja appeared in front of him.

"What is with all of these interruptions?" Hikari muttered. "They never stop."

"Lord Hokage, before you do, please allow me, Hayate Gekko, appointed as proctor of the third exam, to speak first."

"So be it."

The proctor stood.

"It's nice to meet you all, there is something…I would like all of you to do…before the third exam," he said as he took breaks to cough.

"He's sick?" Hikari asked quietly. Sasuke nodded in return.

"It looks like it."

"Shouldn't they have someone a little healthier doing this?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "What if something happens to him?"

Sasuke only shrugged in answer to her questions. Hikari sighed and shook her head.

_"Sometimes I wonder about the efficiency of this village," _Hikari thought as she bit at her lip.

"We have to have a preliminary exam before we can move onto the real one…"

Hikari's eyes widened and her thoughts were knocked from her head, the news of stalling drawing all of her attention back to the proctor.

"Preliminary!?" Shikamaru yelled. "Just what do you mean by that?"

"You're fucking joking, right?" Hikari yelled as she clenched her fists. "All of us worked our asses off to get to this blasted tower and now you're just going to cut us in half again?"

"Excuse me Sensei, but I really don't see the point," Sakura spoke up in an unsure tone. "Why can't we just move onto the third exam?"

"Well, you see, the first and second exams might have been too easy. The fact is, we never expected so many of you to be here. According to the rules of the Chuunin Exams, a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the total number of candidates remaining."

"B-But is that fair?" Sakura asked in a worried tone.

"No it isn't!" Hikari yelled with a glare. "We all deserve an equal shot at this!"

"It's just that at this stage, we have to speed things up a bit. As Lord Hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time."

"So for them it's okay to waste our chances at passing? It's okay to waste the potential of our careers because of your precious lords?" Hikari yelled loudly. "That's complete bullshit!"

"They've come to see only the best." Hayate's comment made Hikari's glare worsen.

**"Excuse me?"**

"Quiet down, Ms. Koizumi."

"Don't tell me to quiet down! This is completely ridiculous!" Hikari yelled again as she crossed her arms.

Instead of listening to her comments, the proctor continued on, ignoring her.

"Now, if there are any of you who don't feel they are in the top physical condition, now is the time to…" he started to cough before he could finish his sentence. "Sorry about that. As I was saying, any of you who don't feel up to this, now is the time to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."

"We don't even get a break?" Hikari asked with a sigh. _"I'm really not sure I should try. I'm still recovering…"_

"Man what a drag," Shikamaru said from somewhere behind her.

"Yeah no kidding…"

…

"First up…" Hikari looked up at the name generator and hoped it was anyone but her; she had barely regained any chakra from her fight with Zaku.

_"I might have enough to do a couple of jutsu, but this fights is me against someone who might have had an easier time than I did in the forest. This is bullshit that we can't do this in our top physical shape."_

"Kaguya Hatsuyo verses Hikari Koizumi."

"You're fucking kidding me!" Hikari yelled as she clenched her fist. "I am so fucking screwed!"

"Hikari, calm down," Hikari turned to look at Hoshi. He nodded at her as he tossed her a food pill which she caught. "You can do this just fine, don't think negatively. I know you're feeling under the weather, but you're better than that."

"Thanks…" she grumbled as she looked up at him. "But let's face this, I am in some trouble."

"Don't think like that," Asami said as she walked up behind Hoshi. "I know you will be fine."

Hikari sighed as she turned towards her opponent, really taking a good look at her.

The other Genin started to clear off of the field, leaving Hikari with many 'good luck's and 'you can win's. Hikari sighed and rolled her shoulders as she watched the girl standing in front of her.

"Great…" she muttered. "She's from Amegakure, chances are, we have the same element and I do not want to use my bloodline limit here…" Hikari looked around and surveyed her area. _"I need to get her towards the wall, try to corner her. That means that I have to put extra effort into Taijutsu. Luckily, Sasuke liked to spar hand to hand, and I have gained a bit more skill than I used to have…"_

…

Sasuke watched Hikari curiously. He knew she was low on chakra, but he also knew how determined she could be. Her will to win and not give up when things got tough when they were training was something that he admired about her. To put it simply, Hikari was just too stubborn to lose.

"Begin."

Hikari wasted no time, she ran straight forwards and attacked with a powerful punch.

_"Taijutsu?"_ he thought with a quirked brow. _"That's unusual for her. She must be very low on Chakra and I bet she doesn't want to use her Kekki Genkai."_

The rain-shinobi, named Kaguya, dodged Hikari's attacks with some effort but Sasuke could tell by the fire in her eyes that she wouldn't give up easily either.

"Hikari looks like she's having trouble…" Sakura observed after a few minutes had passed . "After what happened in the forest, she might not win this."

"She'll beat her opponent," Sasuke said quietly as he folded his arms. "I spar with her almost every day; I know what kind of power she has and this isn't the extent of it."

Hikari let out a ferocious yell as she drove her fist forwards and hit her opponent in the chest, sending the other girl flying back into the wall. Hikari didn't stop at that, however, she ran forwards and attacked while her opponent was down.

"How ruthless…" Sakura said quietly.

"She's low on chakra…you can see it in her attacks, she has become sloppy with her tiredness," Kakashi spoke up. "Hikari doesn't normally show such disrespect in a fight…however, we have only ever seen her in a spar before, not facing a real enemy."

_"She killed Arata at full chakra with little problems,"_ Sasuke thought as he frowned. _"Hikari can be quite ruthless when she fights a real enemy."_

Sasuke returned his eyes to Hikari but frowned when he saw that she was completely still. Kaguya had her hand on Hikari's calf and her expression revealed she was in terrible pain. Sasuke watched as Hikari struggled to move her arm down to her kunai pouch, her hand barely inching as tears began to leak from her eyes.

"Whatever that ninja is doing, it's really hurting her," Sakura said as she watched. "She's trying to get a kunai though, she's fighting against it."

After a few moments, Hikari managed to get her hand down to her pouch and draw a knife. Very carefully, despite the fact that her hand was shaking, she poked herself hard enough in the thigh draw blood. In that same instant, Hikari jumped back and glared at her opponent.

"Shock paralysis caused by a lightening jutsu," Hikari hissed, yet her voice echoed around the room. "I was wrong about you…"

_"Lightning jutsu? This is bad, Hikari is a water-based element user…"_ Sasuke's eyes were drawn to the large burn mark that appeared on Hikari's leg.

The rain-ninja smirked.

"And the best thing is, it doesn't require any chakra…"

Hikari's eyes widened, but then they narrowed again.

_"She's onto something," _Sasuke thought. _"Whatever it was about that girl's statement, Hikari didn't like it." _

"So it's _that_ kind of technique? A special bloodline limit that allows you to utilise the natural elements around you without exhausting chakra. You're from an ancient shinobi clan, aren't you?" Hikari panted. "No matter. It won't help you now that I know."

Hikari did several back flips to distance herself from her enemy. Hikari suddenly hissed in pain as she felt a searing white-hot burning come from between her shoulder blades. That was something she had not felt in a long time, but she wasn't about to let it eat at her.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he watched Hikari twitch in pain and roll her shoulders. _"This isn't looking good…"_ Sasuke thought looking at Hikari.

After a moment, Hikari regained herself and then she looked at Kaguya with fire in her eyes that reflected sheer determination to win. Sasuke could see the exhaustion in the way she held herself and he suspected that she was already barely moving on her own, that it was taking every ounce of her will to fight.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this but it looks like I have no choice," Hikari snarled.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Hikari! What are you doing!?" Hikari lifted her head to glare at Sora. "You can't let them see that this early!"

"You idiot, be quiet," Hikari yelled back.

"Never take your eyes off an enemy!" Hikari reacted by grabbing the fist that Kaguya threw towards her face. Hikari turned to smirk at Kaguya.

"Never get caught by _your_ enemy…" Kaguya narrowed her eyes and pushed her fist forwards; sending out a charge.

Sasuke smirked when he heard Kaguya let out a scream instead of Hikari. He had seen her use that very technique once on him when he had tried to use a fire-jutsu on her.

"Water techniques are fun to use if you know how to play the game," Hikari said with a smirk. "Two can play at your game. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a very sore loser; I don't intend to lose today."

"H-How did you?" Kaguya asked with widened eyes and a shocked expression.

"I used the last of my chakra for a water-mirror technique. I surround my palm before I touched you so that when you tried to attack me, it absorbed the technique and sent it back. All I had to do was make sure there was enough chakra in my elemental jutsu to overthrow yours. Perhaps, you shouldn't use a jutsu that is so weak when it comes to constitution."

"She's stealing my thing…" Kakashi said quietly. "I'm the copy-ninja…"

"Haha, maybe Hikari will make a name off of your gimmick!" Naruto yelled. "She does it better than you, Kakashi-sensei!"

Hikari used her remaining strength to throw Kaguya forwards and run after her. Hikari kicked her into the air and then propelled herself from the ground, jumping just above her enemy. Hikari put both of her hands together and then smashed them down onto Kaguya's abdomen, forcing her back towards the ground. Hikari mustered the most miniscule amount of chakra, ringing her cells dry, as she applied it to her feet and then forced herself downwards, colliding into the girl's chest and knocking the consciousness, and maybe even the life, out of her as she smashed her into the ground.

After a few moments, the proctor coughed and then stepped forwards. "The winner is Hikari Koizumi." After the proctor declared her the victor, Hikari dared to allow herself to move, but only began to fall. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he jumped from the ledge and managed to catch Hikari in time before she hit the ground. He smirked.

"Moving by sheer force of will?"

"You know me too well…" she said quietly. "That jutsu I used was very risky, depending on the amount of chakra she used in hers, it could have killed me. I had to use just about all of mine, only saving enough for that ending, just in case."

"She said she used none," Sasuke said as he raised a brow.

"Exactly, she said…it's impossible to use lightning that way unless it's cloudy, and we're in a building. Well, it looks like I am moving on…you had better win your fight."

Sasuke nodded as he watched Hikari slowly close her eyes. A ninja suddenly appeared next to him, she had long blondish-pink braided hair and wore the vest of a Jonin.

"I'll take her from here," she said with a smile.

Sasuke nodded as he handed Hikari to her Sensei, who started to walk towards the exit of the tower.

"Next, Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and saw Asami set Hikari down and then check her vital signs. He sighed as he walked further into the arena and tried to forget his worries for Hikari, at least, until he finished his fight.


	24. Chapter XXI

_**Chapter XXI:**_

"Sweet little Hikari, it's time to wake up now." Hikari's eyes snapped opened wide, however, she couldn't see out of them. She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand laid over it. "Now, calm down, I have only blindfolded you, my dear." Hikari felt the hand recede.

"Father?" Hikari's voice cracked as she dared ask if it was him. Pure fear ran through her veins when the thought of him standing over her sunk in. "Why?"

"Why? So you don't see my disguise and recognise me in the audience of the Chuunin Exams, of course. I would trade anything to watch my little-girl fight again. So, I am here. I want to watch how you have grown when you fight against your next opponent without you knowing where I am watching from."

"And my mission?" Hikari asked as her voice fell. "What about that?"

"I am altering it, I no longer want you to hunt down the fox-boy. I realise that you are not up to that task…"

"Than what are you altering it to?" Hikari swallowed her question, her father never altered her missions. When she failed, she was punished.

"As far as I am concerned your mission is complete, child. I wanted information on the Genin here so I could take them out, accordingly, and you have given me this information. You have successfully completely your mission." Hikari's eyes widened. "Why do you look so upset?"

"It's just that, well, I doubted myself…"

"Dear child," her father spoke with a chuckle. "You wouldn't fail me again, not after what happened last time." Hikari swallowed, though it was of no use because her throat was dry. "You are to come home directly after the Chuunin exams and bring me a few scrolls from the Hokage's office. Do not fail me, these are very important."

"Yes…" she said quietly.

"I have left a list and description of the scrolls in your current residence, under your mattress."

"Yes…" She swallowed again as she tried to rid herself of the fears that were building in her throat and bringing the sour taste of bile to the back of her tongue; she was feeling so sick knowing the man who had caused her so much pain stood not even a foot away from her.

"Do not fail me, Hikari."

Before she could force out another reply, she felt the breeze that signified he had either jumped out of the window, of whatever room she was in, or teleported. She took in a large breath and reached up to slip her shaking fingers around the cloth that rested over her eyes. She pulled away the material and in took the sight of a stale hospital room. She tried not to breathe in the scent now that she recognised it.

Hikari stood and pulled the IV from her arm, still shaking from her encounter.

"What happened?" she asked herself as she looked around. "Are the preliminary rounds over?"

"The answer of that question would be 'yes.'" Hikari looked up and saw the door to her room open.

"Sora, Hoshi!" she exclaimed as she ran up to them. "What happened, did you pass? Did I pass?"

"Yeah you passed," Sora said as he stepped next to her and put his arm around her, as if the action was a casual thing between them. Hikari blinked with a frown while she stared at him for a brief moment. When Sora made no attempt to remove his arm, she did it for him, which resulted with a frown usually creasing his face.

"Hoshi also passed."

Hikari looked up and saw her sensei, and then smiled. Hikari's smile faltered as she looked at Sora.

"You didn't?" Sora shook his head.

"I was up against the brother of the ninja you fought, he was determined to get revenge for his sister's death and kicked my sorry ass…"

"Death?" Hikari mouthed. "I killed her?"

Asami sombrely nodded.

"You broke all of her rips and ruptured her heart when you delivered that final attack," Hoshi said quietly. "She died instantly."

"I'm so sorry…" Hikari said quietly. "I was just trying to incapacitate her, not kill her. I was so exhausted and I didn't want to lose."

"You may have overdone it a bit," Asami said as she looked at the other two members of her squad for support, "however, we feel there was nothing else you could have done. People die in these exams, Hikari."

Hoshi nodded in agreement.

"No one, but the squad-mates of the kunoichi, blames you…" Hoshi said quietly. "You did what you had to, the death was accidental."

"Unlike that Gaara fellow," Sora pitched in.

"Gaara?"

"Yeah, he tried to kill Lee," Sora said with a sour frown. "If Gai hadn't of interfered, Lee would be dead."

"He's here as well," Hoshi said quietly. "He's recovering, but, it seems unlikely that he will ever be a Shinobi again."

Hikari gasped as she held her hand over her mouth. She didn't really know Lee, but she did know how important his career as a Shinobi was to him.

"Gai refuses to give up on him, so, we mustn't either," Asami said firmly. "It is important that Lee feel the support of his entire village."

Hikari nodded in agreement with her sensei.

"Anything else I should know about?"

"Sasuke passed his match," Hoshi said. "But, he was also rushed to the hospital. He is on the top floor if you want to visit him. I'm sure the ANBU guarding him will let you by."

"There's another thing, Hikari," Asami spoke up. Hikari looked up at Asami and blinked. "You and Hoshi are scheduled to fight. The winner will fight whoever wins Sasuke's match."

Hikari looked at Hoshi with wide eyes.

"Just don't kill me, okay?" Hoshi joked with a smile.

Hikari faltered. "I…"

"Don't worry, it doesn't matter who wins, anyone who fights in these final rounds has a chance to become a Chuunin. I'm not worried about who wins."

Hikari nodded as she pulled Hoshi into a hug.

"I won't hold back if you don't, okay?" Hoshi asked as he hugged her back. "Just don't kill me, is all I request."

"Sounds like a deal…" Hikari said as she pulled away from him with a soft smile. "I'm going to go see Sasuke…"

Hikari walked towards the exit of the room, but felt someone grasp her wrist.

"Wait, Hikari." Hikari looked over her shoulder with a raised brow at Sora. "Why don't you just spend the day with us?"

Hikari frowned.

"I'm worried about Sasuke…I'm sorry Sora, but I should go check in on him." Hikari pulled her wrist from his hand and continued out the door. "Like Asami said, Lee needs the strength of his peers to recover…Sasuke might need the same thing."

Hikari felt like something wasn't right when she was leaving, but she didn't have the sense to turn around and see the cold glare Sora was giving her.

…

"Sasuke?" Sasuke lifted his head and a small smirk ghosted his lips when he saw Hikari.

"You're awake."

"Yeah…" she said with a small smile as she walked further into the room. "It seems like I am, huh?" Sasuke motioned her forwards with his hand. Hikari walked to the foot of his bed and then sat down. After a moment of silence, she hesitantly smiled at him. "I heard you passed your match…"

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard," he said quietly.

"That's good…" her smile faltered. "How is it?" He lifted his hand to his neck and placed it down onto the back of it, he knew exactly what she spoke of; the curse mark.

"It's good, Kakashi sealed it."

Hikari sighed as she crawled forwards and laid her head on the junction of his arm and collarbone, hoping it was okay because of the fact that he had kissed her in the forest. She had spent the whole couple of days after that happened wondering what his kiss meant, and to her, she realised that she had been gaining feelings for Sasuke for a long time.

"Well, if you're feeling better," she started quietly. "Tell me about something. I want to talk, I want to get to know you."

Sasuke looked down at her with a quirked brow. "You only ask me to do that when you're feeling uneasy."

"I know…" she said with a frown. "I just have a bad feeling and I want to make sure we still have each other if something happens."

Hikari played with the hem of his shirt, her eyes were fixed onto the fabric as if she had discovered some kind of secret about the world. She didn't want to think about it, but her father's visit weighed heavy in her mind. After his visit, Hikari had realised something that made her gut squirm, her time in Konoha and the people living in the city was now capped. What bothered her the most was the fact that her time with Sasuke was now very limited. She hadn't thought about that before. She always knew she would have to leave Konoha, but she had never thought that by doing so she would have to leave Sasuke too.

"What do you want to know?" Sasuke asked after a moment of silence.

"Tell me about what defines you…"

"I am an avenger," he said quietly.

Hikari raised her brow as she looked into his eyes.

"What are you avenging?" she asked him cautiously, she felt like she was wading in dangerous waters. However, her curiosity was winning the battle against her common sense and she couldn't help but ask.

Sasuke sighed as he sat up and grabbed onto her small frame, holding her up in his arms.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm not going to talk about this in a hospital bed…"

Hikari shut her mouth and nodded, letting him carry her as he jumped out of the window and ran through the city.

When Sasuke came to a stop he set Hikari down onto soft grass. Her eyes glided across the landscape around her. She took notice to the fact that they were still inside of the gates of Konoha but she did not recognise the part of town he had brought her to. Hikari curled her toes into the blades of grass that tickled her feet as she looked at all the lanterns hanging off the buildings that surrounded what looked to be a courtyard garden to her, the lanterns all had the same symbol printed onto them that was woven into the back of Sasuke's shirt.

"Is this your home?"

"It used to be…" he said in a sour tone. "This was my family's compound before my entire clan was wiped out."

Hikari looked around, and now that she thought of his implications, the compound was unnaturally silent. This place had once been so full of life and the only reminder of that fact was the blood that still stained the walls with dark brown spots. Her skin crawled. Hikari looked back at Sasuke and saw that he was lightly running his fingers down a side of the building, which had wallpaper tearing off of it, with his eyes closed. Hikari frowned as she walked towards Sasuke, utterly conscious that everywhere she stepped someone could have died, and hugged him from behind.

"When you said you lost your parents, I didn't realise you had lost your entire clan with them…" Sasuke didn't reply to her and she didn't expect him to. She closed her eyes and breathed in his natural forest scent. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me about it."

Sasuke took in a breath and held it for a long time before he released it. "They were murdered, all except for me…"

Hikari's eyes saddened, she was reminded of the feelings brought forth by her mother's death; and even experiencing something like that, she could only imagine how Sasuke felt.

"I'm sorry…"

"It was my brother who did it."

Hikari looked at him and cringed when his voice came out so hatefully and full of disgust. She had never heard him speak in such tones, but it allowed her to know the bitter hatred boiling inside of him for his brother. Finally, some things she had seen in Sasuke's behavior began to make sense.

"He kept me alive and told me to hate him so one day he could test himself against me." Hikari suddenly understood the depth and the reasoning of Sasuke's hate and his quest for vengeance; whoever this man was, he seemed to be without a heart or a soul. "I just remember not being able to do anything about it!" Sasuke suddenly hit the wall with his fist, surprising Hikari and making her jump against him. He looked over his shoulder at her with apologetic eyes and then inhaled before beginning again. "I was so weak; I couldn't save anyone. They all died in front of me, while I stood frozen in fear, and he just let me go in the end."

Hikari swooped underneath his arm in order to stand in front of him and then lightly touched his face.

"It's ok to feel the way you do…" Sasuke's eyes widened for a moment as he looked down at her. "I completely understand the need to avenge someone…I can also understand that the compulsion to avenge an entire clan must be incredibly strong. If killing your brother is the closure you need, then so be it."

"You don't think it's wrong of me?"

"I don't think it's my place to judge," she said quietly as she looked into his eyes. "I have done some terrible things before and I have even done terrible things out of revenge, I know kind of understand what you're feeling. I'm not going to tell you what I think is best for you because it's something that changed you in a fundamental way and you need to decide how you're going to handle it on your own." Hikari paused and then grabbed his hands in hers, squeezing them to let him know that she was there and supporting him. "All I ask is that you be careful about who you go to as a means of getting stronger. I know you probably want to kill your brother if he still lives, and that's your decision to make, I just ask that you be careful about how you pursue this goal you strive to attain." Hikari looked into Sasuke's eyes. "Just remember that you always have other choices. I know you're probably going to follow only one path but I ask that you put a lot of thought into the path you chose. It doesn't have to revolve around such misery. I know from experience that sometimes it's better to let things go and to leave what is in the past, in the past." Hikari sighed. "Whatever you chose, I will support you until the end." Hikari let a small smile show from her lips as she lightly touched his cheek again. "Try to remember that I am here too. Okay, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded as leaned into her touch and closed his eyes.

"I never thought you would support me…I only brought you here on a whim because I feel like I can trust you," he spoke quietly as he lightly brushed his lips against her fingers. "You seem like such a righteous person, someone who believes in the law. However, I am glad that you do."

Hikari smiled at him with brightened eyes.

"I will always be here for you so long as there is a place for me to stand by your side."


	25. Chapter XXII

_**Chapter XXII:**_

Hikari sighed as she held up two forehead protectors in front of her, one from her home village and the other from Konoha. If her father cancelled her mission, that only meant one thing, he had found the Fox-Boy on his own. She didn't know what that meant for her, but she was scared. The way he talked to her in the hospital was just so _fake._

_"That man holds no love for me," _she thought as her watery purple eyes shifted between the two metal plates with their village symbols carved into the face of them. She was too scared to go home, but didn't know if it was possible for her to stay in Konoha, away from his dangerous hands.

When she thought of Konoha, she thought of Sasuke. She thought of how he had brought her to the Uchiha compound, and how his kiss had sped up the beat of her heart. Hikari tried to recall the last time she felt desired or loved, like the way she felt when Sasuke kissed her, but she couldn't remember. She just assumed it came from her mother once in the distance and dead past. Her mind drifted back to Sasuke and the things he told her again. She held deep sorrow for his loss; it was hard enough to lose her mom, forget losing _everything_ at once. But despite that, Sasuke seemed so passionate about his goal.

_"What Sasuke told me, it really motivated me…" _Hikari thought as she looked towards the symbol for Konoha. _"He faces what's being handed to him and doesn't look back. I could do the same if I wanted. I don't have to go back to a beating, I'm being offered a place here and I'm just turning it down. There is nothing left for me at home, my best-friend is gone and my mother is dead...all my father has ever done for me is make me feel like a pawn; a broken down and useless item that was only ever used to gain his ultimate desires and then disposed of afterwards."_ The tears began to slid from her eyes and down her cheeks, dripping onto her hands as she bit her lip. "I don't want that life…I don't want to be beaten or hurt anymore. It will destroy me."

Hikari nodded as she swallowed the lump in her throat and walked to her window. She drew in a deep breath and then opened it, revealing the vast sky that had been kissed by the sunset. Hikari looked to make sure no one was in the yard and then threw the headband out the window as hard as she could. As it soared through the air and then landed on the rack of the street-gutter, she felt a sense of relief wash over every fibre of her being when it disappeared between the gaps and was swallowed by the sewer. She picked up the remaining headband from the windowsill and then tied it around her thigh, above her kunai holder. Hikari went to her mirror and gazed into it, seeing the carving of the leaf village symbol glimmer when the light from the sun outside hit it correctly.

_"I'm letting it go of it all. I cannot go back there…if I can just stay out of his reach, I won't ever have to feel this kind of fear again. I can move on and become the person that I have always wanted to be, I can become my façade without looking back into the past."_ Hikari smiled to herself. _"I don't have to be afraid anymore…"_

A moment went by while she looked out the window, watching a tree bend and dance in the wind. Hikari turned and looked back into her mirror, smiling as she did. She felt balanced out, like a thousand pounds had been lifted from her shoulders.

_"I'm sorry father; I won't be coming back after the Chuunin Exams."_

"Hey."

Hikari turned around and saw Sasuke sitting in her open window.

"Look at you being Mr. Cool…show off." Hikari tried, but she couldn't hold in her smile when she saw him. She ran forwards and threw her arms around him, embracing him in a loving hug.

"Whoa," Sasuke said as he balanced himself with his hands. He looked down at her with a lifted brow. "What's with you?"

Hikari lifted her head to gaze into his onyx depths.

"I'm just happy to see you," she said as she bit her bottom lip. "That's all." Hikari let go of him and stepped back, allowing him to jump into the room from the window.

"I have something to ask you, Hikari."

Hikari blinked as she looked up into his eyes.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing for training this month?"

Hikari let out a sigh. With all of her decisions, she had hoped he would have asked her something else.

"I'm mostly working on my chakra reserves." She looked away from him and towards the open window. "Is it wrong of me to be thinking of giving up?"

"Why would you be thinking of that?" Sasuke asked in a monotone as his eyes scanned the room, this was his first time inside of it.

"I have to fight Hoshi and if I win I would have to go onto fight whoever wins your match…that could be you Sasuke." Hikari looked towards the ground. "I don't even want to try and fight you on serious terms. I hope I never have to."

"You shouldn't give up," Sasuke said firmly. "It's not like you're going to hurt me. Think of it like a sparring match, whoever collapses first loses."

"I feel uneasy about it…" Hikari admitted quietly. "I'm afraid. I've been afraid of these exams since they started." Hikari averted her eyes, not saying the real reason she didn't want to participate; her father.

"Don't be," Sasuke said with a shrug of his shoulders. "You're just over thinking."

"I don't even have anyone to train with…"

"Your sensei?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.

"Probably training Hoshi," Hikari responded as she walked to her bed and plopped down onto it.

"Hoshi is being trained by his father," Sasuke said with a shrug. "You should go talk to Asami."

Hikari nodded as she let out a defeated sigh.

"I guess I should then…" she looked up at Sasuke. "I'm still feeling uneasy."

"Che." Sasuke walked up to her. "Don't worry, you're just going to psych yourself out."

"Yeah, I understand." Hikari sat up and grabbed Sasuke's hand. "However, now that I think about it…aren't you supposed to be training?"

Sasuke smirked.

"Kakashi told me to go home and eat something to restore some of my chakra…"

Hikari deadpanned.

"Aren't you supposed to be eating then?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Your house just happened to be on the way to mine."

"Well, get going!" Hikari said as she stood and pushed him towards the window. "I have to eat and train as well. I can't waste anymore of my time just sitting around." Sasuke looked at her with a small smirk. "What?" He shook his head and then jumped out the window, shortly disappearing from sight after he landed.

"Now that look is going to bother me for the whole day," Hikari uttered as she clenched her fist. "I'm going to wonder why he was smirking, damn duck-ass…"

Hikari let out another sigh when she was sure he was gone. It was going to be a long couple of weeks.

…

"Asami-sensei?" Hikari asked as she lightly knocked on her sensei's door the next morning. She heard footsteps and then took in a deep breath in preparation in order to ask her teacher for help. The door swung open and Hikari laid eyes on a man she had never seen before.

"Hello," he said with a cheery smile. His eyes were a lacklustre dark-purple and his hair was as black as hers, it clashed against his pale skin.

"Is Asami-san home?" she asked politely. "I'm her student."

"Hikari, right?" the man asked with a smile. "Asami's running errands right now, but you can wait inside if you'd like. She said she expected you to show up."

"Pardon my rudeness, but who are you?" Hikari asked curiously as she walked into the house when the man side-stepped and allowed her inside.

"I'm Asami's older brother, Daisuke," he said with a soft smile. "She called me here to help her with something, but hasn't explained yet."

"Oh," Hikari said thoughtfully as she sat leaned up against the countertop that connected Asami's sitting room and kitchen. She raised her eyebrow when she looked at Daisuke again and couldn't help but mention the fact that was running through her mind. "You and Asami don't look related."

Daisuke let a chuckle pass through his parted lips before speaking. "That's because Asami was adopted into my family. We found her abandoned. She means a lot to me." Daisuke let a proud smile take over his lips. "She's come so far as a shinobi."

"I'm glad she's my sensei," Hikari said with a smile. "Asami's a really good teacher."

"She learned everything she knows from me."

"You're pompous," Hikari said in complete honesty.

"And you're bold," he retorted with a smirk. "You remind me of a younger version of myself, kid."

"Do I now? Most people just call me rude and that's the end of it," Hikari said with a shrug. "Finally, someone who appreciates brutal honesty."

"I have been telling people they should for ten years now," Daisuke said with a shrug, "but no one listens to me. No, they all listen to what they want to hear."

"Exactly!" Hikari said in an excited tone. "I have officially decided I like you."

Daisuke chuckled again.

"Well that's good, because you're going to be seeing him around here a lot."

Hikari looked away from the man and saw her sensei walk through the door.

"It's funny that you enjoy my company, I tend to infuriate people," Daisuke said as he crossed his arms. "But nonetheless, you seem like a pretty cool kid."

Asami sighed as she shook her head and walked further into the house with a brown paper bag full of groceries wrapped in her arms.

"If I wasn't sure about this before, I am now," Asami said as she set the groceries down and then started putting them away. "I have a lot to explain to you guys, so go sit in the sitting room until I am done. Also, Hikari you are eating here tonight, Kakashi already knows."

"Oh…ok," Hikari said with surprise reflecting in her eyes. "However, I would appreciate being asked and not volun-told next time."

"That's what I said when she invited me here and then told me I would be staying for a while…" Daisuke said with a sigh. "I didn't even get to pack."

"Trust me, you two will be ecstatic when I reveal my plans," Asami said as she flashed a kind-hearted smile towards the two shinobi that walked into her sitting room and took a seat on her couch.

Hikari and Daisuke waited patiently for Asami to finish her task at hand, exchanging small conversation about Hikari's team-mates and shinobi training. During the conversation, she learned that Daisuke was a former ANBU-level ninja from Konoha, but he preferred to live in an outside village and try to protect it with a small group of his clan members. Hikari was skeptical if by 'protect' he meant 'control', there was a very prominent ambition for power in his eyes but she couldn't deny that she also saw love and kindness in them too. It was completely different from the ambitious eyes she was used to, ones that sought power for the sake of having it.

_"Perhaps it isn't about control at all…" _

"Look at your little brain going," Daisuke said with a smirk.

"Be careful, brother, Hikari has been carefully analysing you for the last ten minutes," Asami said with a smirk as she walked towards them and sat down in the chair adjacent to the couch. Daisuke's eyes widened as he looked at Hikari with surprise. "And her brain isn't little, she has a mind for strategizing…she meshes really great with the rest of her teammates."

"I thought she was a normal Genin," he said with as he leaned back on the couch and put his hands behind his head. "I think I understand why you called me here now, Asami. However, have you forgotten that I only oversee people who are a part of our family's clan?"

"No," Asami responded with a snort. Daisuke raised a brow at her. "Why else do you think I would call you here, brother?"

"Now I understand," he said in a whisper as he gazed at Hikari with astonished eyes. "She's a Koizumi?" Asami nodded and he inquired further. "What branch of the clan is she?" Asami sighed.

"I think she may be Shizuka's daughter…"

Hikari's eyes widened, she knew Asami was going to find someone to train her, but she hadn't expected something like this. _"They know my mother's name? How?"_

"Hikari," Daisuke said as he urgently turned to her. "Where is your mother!? Who kidnapped her all those years ago? Who is your father?"

Hikari's eyes widened even more because Daisuke had gripped her shoulders very tightly. She swallowed slowly and sat there in her seat frozen.

"S-She's dead…" Hikari spoke in a whisper.

Daisuke let out a defeated sigh as he let her go and then leaned back against the couch again while he held his forehead with the palm of his large hand covering his eyes. His posture said so many things, but what she saw most was disappointment and tears.

"Someone needs to explain to me what's going on, right now," she said as her eyes flicked to Asami.

Her teacher looked at Hikari and then opened her mouth to speak, but then sighed and shook her head. Daisuke wiped his eyes and then took in a shaky breath.

"I was hoping you could tell me who's responsible for kidnapping my sister so I could murder him with my bare hands."


	26. Chapter XXIII

_**Chapter XXIII:**_

"Sora…" The younger Hayate sighed as he tore his gaze from the Sakura tree outside of his house and glanced up towards his brother with his cerulean eyes. "You need to let go of your feelings for Hikari. They're only going to drag you down." Sora didn't answer his brother at first, partly because he subconsciously knew Hoshi was right and also because he didn't want to give up the feelings he held for the beautiful girl mentioned by Hoshi. Hikari made Sora feel happy and light. When she smiled, it made time freeze for him just so he could look into her eyes and smile back. He longed to be closer to her, he wanted to be more than her friend. "Sora!"

"What do you want from me?" Sora's voice echoed throughout the silent room making Hoshi narrow his eyes from his brother's sudden outburst. "Sasuke came out of nowhere! Something happened in the forest, I have seen them kiss at least three times. Do you want me just to push everything down and try to forget about one of the few people that I need?"

"Sora, you care in a way you shouldn't," Hoshi said with a sigh as he lightly walked across the hardwood floor and squatted in front of his brother. "You should be treating her like a younger sister, not a lover."

"Hoshi, I can't just turn off my feelings," Sora hissed as he glared into his brother's orbs of smouldering gold. "Not everyone is so indifferent." Hoshi's eyes reflected true hurt at his brother's words, if only Sora realised he was doing this because he cared.

"Sora this is going to hurt you in the end if you don't let it go now. They're plenty of beautiful women who will love you in return. You just have to let go of Hikari, if you do, you will feel better," Hoshi looked towards the Sakura tree outside. "I promise you will."

"You don't understand…" Sora said bitterly as he stood and walked towards the sliding door of the common room in their home. "There is no one like Hikari."

"She does have a silver tongue, doesn't she?" Hoshi asked as he stood. "Sora, if I have to, I will bring this matter to the Hokage. I don't think it's wise of you to be on our squad anymore if you're going to bitterly resent her decisions."

Before Hoshi could blink Sora had him pinned to the wooden panel of the wall. His eyes burned into Hoshi's, his glare sending chills down the older brother's spine. Sora's forearm pushed against Hoshi's neck, while his hand gripped his shoulder so hard that his fingertips turned white.

"Don't test me, Hoshi."

"Sora," Hoshi said pitifully, "don't let this consume you."

"I can't watch her slip away!" Sora yelled as he slammed Hoshi into the wall. "I can't watch that Uchiha scum dump her to grovel in the dirt! I can treat her better, I know I can!"

"Sora, she loves Sasuke, you can see it written on her face…"

"No!" Sora slammed his brother again. "She won't love him when he leaves her! She won't love him after he tears her apart. She has so many friends here and when he leaves her, she will be with us. I can make her happy, she will feel the way I do for her, you watch. I would wager my life!"

"Then you would throw your life away!" Hoshi yelled back as he grabbed his brother's arms. "Despite what you say, you can see the way Uchiha feels for her! It's not some fluke to piss you off, there is caring in his eyes. He lights up whenever Hikari walks into a room! Sora! Let her go! Don't be this guy, be the person she needs, be her moral support! If you pursue Hikari's friendship, you will be far closer to her than you ever have been pursuing her love. Sora, wake up!" Hoshi frowned as he looked into his brother's eyes. "This dream is far more painful than the reality outside. Don't do this to yourself." Sora's eyes started to water as he let go of his brother and held his head in the palm of his hand. "If you can fall in love, you can fall out of it."

"Just leave me alone, Hoshi…you couldn't possibly understand."

…

"S-Sister?" Hikari breathlessly asked. "What do you mean?" Daisuke looked into Hikari's eyes, but continued to mumble to himself instead of answering her.

"I can't believe I didn't see it before." He shook his head. "The signs are all there, the traits are visible, even her personality. Why did I see it!?"

"Please!" Hikari demanded in a strained and urgent tone. "Was my mother your sister? Shizuka Koizumi? Please, I have to know."

Daisuke looked into Hikari's eyes again.

"Who is your father?"

Though Hikari was pretty sure he was related to her, she wasn't stupid.

"He's dead! He died in the explosion!"

"Don't you have a name!?" Daisuke almost yelled.

"Arata!" Hikari yelled back; she had chosen the name out of desperation.

Asami sighed.

"Daisuke, she didn't want us to know…" She lightly touched his shoulder. "Why don't you answer some of Hikari's questions?"

Daisuke nodded as he looked up into Hikari's confused eyes; he took in a long inhale and then let it out through parted lips slowly.

"Your mother was my sister. She was taken from us, kidnapped by whomever…" he trailed off. "I have a lot to cover, let me start over."

Hikari nodded as she listened closely; she was ready to swallow any information he gave her about her mother like a starved wolf. Shizuka had died before she had reached the age of ten and she didn't really get to know the woman, or more correctly, she didn't know anything about her mother's past.

"Our branch of the clan is the main branch and Shizuka was our prodigy. A good thing to note about her is how exceptionally beautiful she was…" Daisuke sighed as he closed his eyes. "She had many men who chased after her and wanted her hand in marriage. Some wanted her for her money, others her abilities, and then the small few who wanted her for love. However, your mother did not return the affection of any man who adored her, all except for one anyways." Daisuke chuckled fondly at his memories. "I guess you can say before seven or eight years ago, the women of our clan had a thing for another clan's men. She was no exception; she fell in love with him and was happy." Daisuke looked up towards Hikari. "I guess you can say our clan and the other clan were meant to be and intermingle, because seven out of ten women would marry into that clan. In several ways, the clan wasn't that different from ours, they were renowned brute strength, general shinobi skills, dark eyes, hair, and pale skin too. Can you guess what clan it was?"

Hikari scrunched her brow as she shook her head; this was not some sort of pop-quiz. This was her life he was talking about. She didn't have time for stupid questions and nostalgia.

"You're no different from your mother…" Asami spoke up quietly. "In that way…"

Hikari's eyes widened.

"The Uchiha?" she mouthed. _"Wait…did I just agree that I am in love with an Uchiha?" _

"You're in love with an Uchiha?" Daisuke asked in a shocked tone. "I thought all of them had died out."

"No, there are two left," Asami said with a small sigh.

"How you have managed to follow our clan legacy so well without being raised with us…" Daisuke stated in wonder. "You're a true Koizumi, probably exactly what your mother wanted."

"She was quite strict that I do things her way," Hikari said quietly as she thought back to her mother's face.

"I had better get back to my story…" Daisuke's eyes saddened. "She loved a man named Haruo deeply. He was such a gentlemen, I remember that I thought I would hate the man who would take your mother from our home. However, was such a surprise I could not bear any ill thoughts towards him, he is the kind of man every man should model themselves after. I will get to the reason why in a minute." Daisuke paused and then grabbed Hikari's shoulder with his hand. "What I'm going to talk about next isn't going to be easy to hear, so you should brace yourself."

Hikari nodded with a swallow.

"On the eve of your mother's engagement with Haruo, another man snuck into your mother's chamber and did horrible things to her. We didn't hear a sound until the next morning, however, all that I remember was the sound of your mother's hysterical pleas for help echoing through the halls of the manor like the calls of a tormented spirit; it was, and still remains to this day, the most chilling thing that I have ever heard." Hikari's eyes widened and she felt her stomach churn in the most unsettling way. "We don't know who it was, but whoever it was we figure he was obsessed with your mother. Shizuka was a strong woman, she wasn't going to let herself wallow in pity, she knew she had to get past the problem. Haruo supported her and promised that he would never let it happen again; he even swore to make the man who defiled your mother pay. Shizuka was utterly surprised, she thought he would leave her because she was now considered 'tainted' and had too much baggage to have a proper relationship with. I gained more respect for him when a little over two months later Shizuka found out she was pregnant with the seed of the man who raped her and Haruo still stayed with her. He told her that he would raise the child with her and treat the child as his own. I was so happy to see tears of joy fill Shizuka's eyes for the first time since it happened…"

Hikari couldn't remember how to breathe. She couldn't pull the sweet air into her aching lungs, she was far too shocked.

"How long ago did this happen?" she managed to ask after she had composed herself.

"Sixteen years ago next month…"

Her heart dropped.

_"That's what I was born out of?"_

She wanted to let her tears show, but she knew she couldn't.

"I wish I could have told you the information you sought…" Her voice sounded barely above a whisper.

"It's not your fault…" Asami spoke quietly. "The man is dead. He's paid for what he did."

Hikari stood walked towards the door, her eyes hollow.

"I have to go home and think…I'm sorry Asami, I won't be staying for supper…" Asami watched her leave with saddened eyes.

"Do you think it was too much for her?" she asked her brother quietly.

"Regardless of if it was or not, she needed to hear it…"


	27. Chapter XXIV

_**Chapter XXIV:**_

"Hikari, open the door…"

Hikari blinked as she looked up from eating the food she had set out on the table. It had been two days since she had talked to her sensei and Daisuke. She felt a little scared because she was sure it was he who was at the door. She stood with a sigh, and then proceeded to open the door.

"H-Hoshi?"

"We need to talk…"

Hikari nodded as she stepped aside and allowed him inside of her and Kakashi's home.

"Is something wrong?" Hikari asked curiously. "Where's Sora?"

"Not here." Hoshi sighed. "Actually, he's the reason I've come." Hoshi lightly took hold of Hikari's hand. "Where can we talk privately?"

Hikari raised her brow to the seriousness of his tone and the sudden contact, however, he didn't give her an answer to her unasked question. So, instead of pressing the issue, she led him up the stairs and into her bedroom. She shut the door and then turned to him.

"No one will come in here without knocking," Hikari said as she crossed her arms over his chest. Hoshi sighed as he started to pace back and forth, looking at Hikari every few seconds. "Um?"

"Look, I don't know how to say this, so I am just going to come out with it. I think we should appeal to the Hokage about Sora's permission to be in our cell."

"Wait, what?" Hikari asked with mild surprise laced into her tone. "Why?"

Hoshi sighed and walked towards the chair in front of Hikari's mirror.

"Do you mind if I sit in this?"

"No," Hikari said as she walked to her bed and sat down on it. "But tell me why you want to boot Sora from the team."

"Remember during the written exam I asked you to be cautious of what you said around Sora?"

"Yes, and I have been," Hikari said as she placed her hands on her hips. "If anything, I have been avoiding being around Sora when I am spending time with Sasuke."

"You misunderstand," Hoshi said as he ran his hand through the bangs that hung in his face once again. He sighed.

"Are you okay, Hoshi? You look really stressed," Hikari pointed out as her facial features softened. He frowned. She didn't claim to be a psychiatrist, but she could tell when something was bothering someone. It was painfully obviously that something was bothering him and it had to be serious because whatever it was that made him want to kick Sora out of their group.

"I think Sora is sick, Hikari," Hoshi said in an uncertain tone. She furrowed her brow.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been acting strange as of late. He hasn't been sleeping well and he hasn't been socialising lately. I talked to him yesterday and he's so far gone…" Hoshi shook. "I don't know what to do. On the one hand, he is my dear little brother who I am supposed to protect but, on the other, you are a vulnerable girl who is like a sister to me and has had to deal with too many hardships as it is…"

"Hoshi," Hikari said with narrowed eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"At first when Sora told me he loved you, I thought he was exaggerating and meant that he liked you as more than a friend, but now I am not so sure. I even think he may be obsessed with you, Hikari." Hoshi shook again. "I tried to tell him he shouldn't be and I tried to get him to open up to me but he wouldn't. He's just so jealous of Sasuke. He says he hates him and he's convinced that Sasuke will just magically disappear…" Hikari felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach and before she could control it, her mind set off. It replayed what she had imagined happened to Shizuka and she lost all control. Tears welled in her eyes and began to cascade down her cheeks. Hoshi's eyes widened. "Um, Hikari? Are you alright? Is this too much for you? I said too much didn't I?"

"N-No, it just reminded me of my mother," Hikari said as she wiped her eyes; it didn't help though because more tears would just fall after she had wiped her face clean.

"Your mother?" Hoshi asked with a brow raised. "We're talking about you and Sora…"

"I know, but she was in a similar situation and it didn't end well for her…" Hikari said quietly. "I found out a couple days ago, it turns out that Asami's foster brother is my uncle on my mother's side. He told me a lot about her and her life. I am still in shock from that and what you said really reminded me of her."

"I'm sorry," Hoshi said in a sincere tone, though he wasn't exactly sure of what she was talking about.

"It's not your fault. Actually, I'm glad you told me," Hikari said as she looked at him and tried to smile. "I don't think he's sick, Hoshi. I think he's just shocked and probably feels like he had something taken from him."

"That's my point though, Hikari!" Hoshi said as he let out a frustrated sigh. "When did you become his property? Why is so upset that he lost something he never had in the first place?"

Hikari sighed.

"How would you feel if Tenten suddenly started to date, oh I don't know, Neji?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hoshi asked as if she was a moron.

"Trust me, just say how you would feel." Hoshi sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair again.

"I don't know, I guess I would be upset for a while. I'd probably want to know why but then drop it and hope to be friends. Maybe even hope if it doesn't work out-"

"Stop, there," Hikari said with a knowing smile. "It's not abnormal to hope people break up to get your chance. I bet Sora's lack of sleeping and the fact that I'm dating Sasuke shocked him and caused his strange behavior. He's probably upset and hurt. I recognise that maybe I should have told Sora about Sasuke and I before he saw it, I haven't been careful about my affection for Sasuke since the second exam because I didn't really think about it. Maybe I should talk to Sora or something…"

"I don't know, Hikari…" Hoshi said as he sighed. "It seems more extreme than that."

"Unless you're not telling me something, I bet this is what it is." Hikari said with a frown. "If I talk to him I think he will be fine. I will even try to find him a date."

"I guess you could try, but if he…does anything, don't hesitate to get away from him…" Hikari narrowed her eyes. "Well, I'm sure it was from lack of sleep, but he held me against a wall while yelling at me. I swear it was completely out of character for him despite the fact that I did piss him off."

Hikari sighed.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Hikari…" Hikari smiled as she stood and walked towards the exit of her room.

"No problem. I just made food as you were coming in, you hungry?"

Hoshi's cheeks dusted pink.

"Uh, no. I have previous arrangements. I should actually get going…"

Hikari smiled as she led him into the living room and then to the door.

"Have fun with Tenten and tell her I said hello."

Hoshi sighed as he walked out of the door with a nod.

"Will do, and thanks again, Hikari."

…

"You're ready to train, I take it?" Daisuke asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"There are only two weeks until the final exam…" Hikari said with a frown as she stepped into Asami's home. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to come here again, but I need your help."

"Very well; but first we need to go shopping."

"Why?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"Well, any Koizumi without a proper weapon is considered not a Koizumi at all. It's a hell of a lot easier to get our blood into someone if we have a weapon we can stab them with at the same time as injecting the blood." Hikari raised her brow. Daisuke smirked. "Tell me, Hikari, what are you lacking in?"

"Taijutsu," Hikari answered without hesitation.

"Hmmm…a hidden weapon then? Yes, I think so…" Hikari narrowed her eyes, but didn't bother asking anymore. She just followed Daisuke out of Asami's apartment.

…

It didn't take long for Daisuke and Hikari to arrive at the best weapons shop in Konoha, the same place Hikari visited not that long ago to get Kunai engraved.

"Hey, I remember you," the shop keeper said with a smile. "You're in luck; I just finished your order this morning."

"Oh, thank you," Hikari said with a smile as she walked up to the counter and took the box he had set down. "Means a lot to me."

"So, did you come for any other reason?"

"Actually, yes," Daisuke said with a smirk. "May I look at some models for hidden weapons? Preferably a blade."

"Yeah, right this way," the man said with a smile as he lifted the counter top and allowed Hikari and her uncle to pass through.

"You're familiar with the blades you often get asked to make for the Koizumi clan, correct?" Daisuke asked once they were behind the door that led into the storage.

"Oh yes, you're here for that?"

"Yeah. It's been awhile, Hajime, I'm surprised you haven't recognised me yet…" the shop keeper looked at Daisuke, and then his eyes widened in surprise.

"Daisuke! You're hair is so long now," Hajime said with a smile. "Welcome brother, welcome."

"Wait, what!?" Hikari yelled. "He's your brother?"

"No," Daisuke said with a smile. "It's just the way clan members greet each other. Hikari, this is Hajime Koizumi, he's from another branch within the clan; one that has always lived in Konoha. He's a weapons maker, and he makes special weapons for our clan."

"And here I was thinking I was a line Koizumi, but place seems to be littered with us!" Hikari said as she threw her arms up.

"It's actually good you kept your identity hushed up," Daisuke said with a smirk. "It will give you a leg up in the exams."

"Eh, wrong," Hikari said as she crossed her arms. "I am fighting my own team mate, he knows about my Kekki Genkai."

Daisuke frowned. "Well, we will just have to train you the old fashioned way. Through actual chakra control."

Hikari wanted to smirk, knowing she had always been using her chakra to manipulate blood. She must have been 'old fashioned' as he put it.

"Let's get you a proper weapon and then we start today," he said as he looked down at her. "Alright?"

"Sounds good to me."

Hajime nodded and then starting to walk further into the storage room; all the way to the back and through another door.

"These are all the weapons I have right now, take your pick." Hikari nodded and stepped forwards, browsing through all of the daggers and different swords. However, nothing appealed to her until she caught sight of a glove. She eyed it curiously.

"That, is my masterpiece," Hajime answered her unasked question with a proud smile. "If you make a tight fist, and push in the button all the way, it will release three blades that you can attack with while you punch. The base of the blades rest in between your knuckles."

"Um…It sounds like you're turning me into a Wolverine wannabe…" Hajime smiled but continued.

"It's recommended for someone who is weak with Taijutsu, that way if you're sure you're going to land a punch, you can get your blood into them as well."

"Sounds great," Daisuke said. "That's what she'll use."

"Hey-"

"That's what it's going to be. It will work for you." Hikari rolled her eyes and watched as Hajime took it from the shelf and then set it in a box.

"Make sure you fill the blades with your blood," Hajime said. "Or you're just uselessly stabbing." Hikari nodded.

"Thank you, Hajime."

"Come on, Hikari. Let's get started. You're going to be an expert before you know it…" Hikari rolled her eyes again.

"Whatever you say, old man…"

…

"Okay," Daisuke said as he took his kunai to Hikari's hand. Hikari relaxed herself, focusing on not healing or doing anything that would give herself away. "When I cut your hand, I want you to focus on moving the blood with your chakra."

"Alright," Hikari said with a shrug. "Sounds simple enough…but what if I don't have Kekki Genkai?"

"Trust me, if you're my niece, you have the blood line," he said with an encouraging grin. "We're like freaking royalty."

"Here I go," Hikari said as she nodded at him. With a small amount of pressure, he pricked her skin, making a small amount of blood surface. Hikari stared at it, trying to make it look like she was concentrating really hard, but barely applying chakra to the blood, making it shake.

"Something that has always helped me was a little tip my mom told me," he said as he approached her and knelt down to her height. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes with her his own violet ones. "Imagine your blood is like an eggshell. It's a container. Picture that just under the surface, it's your chakra and you're just using the chakra to roll the egg."

Hikari nodded, picturing what he was telling her to do. With a little more effort, she put just enough chakra into it to move the blood and inch. Daisuke smiled as he looked at her hand. He tightened his hold on her before he looked back up at her face.

"I remember doing this with my sister," he said with a smile. "Her name was Shizuka, as you know, and in the beginning, she sucked too. If you're going to be anything like her, I will have you at mastery soon enough."


	28. Chapter XXV

_**Chapter XXV:**_

"No Hikari!" Daisuke said with a frustrated groan. "You're leaving yourself completely open!"

"Shut up!" Hikari yelled as she charged and shoved her fist towards her uncle's chest. "You're so fucking annoying!"

Daisuke grabbed her arm and threw her away from him. Hikari jammed her open palms towards the ground and then maneuvered her body enough to land on her feet. She glared. Hikari charged again, lifting her hand to aim a punch. When her uncle went to grab it, she kicked her foot up and aimed for his gut, which he blocked. She smirked. She kicked her other leg up and then kicked him in the side of the head with the back of her calf. She kicked off of him and then landed on her feet. She rushed over towards him and held a Kunai knife to his neck. "I win…"

Daisuke sighed.

"Okay, you can go for the day…I need to rest and think of other ways to make you lose…"

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said as she stuffed her knife back into her pouch.

"Don't go staying up all night, I want you back here for the crack of dawn," Daisuke said seriously. "And practice your Kekki Genkai, you're pretty savvy with it, but I want you better!"

"My caretaker has rubbed off on me, I tend to be late, so you might as well not even expect me there for that time. I get here when life permits me to get here…" Hikari shrugged, but then smiled. "I will practice, I always do. See you later and tell Asami that I said hello."

…

"Sora?" Hikari called as she lightly pushed the already opened door to his home open wider so she may step inside. "You here?"

A tall woman appeared from behind the corner with a raised brow.

"May I help you?"

"Oh, I'm looking for Sora. I'm one of his team mates," Hikari said as she blushed. "I'm sorry for barging in, the door was open."

"Oh, no it's not a problem," the woman said with a smile as she pushed her raven bangs behind her ear. "I'm Midori, Sora and Hoshi's mother."

Hikari's face lightened up.

"I'm Hikari," she said as she lifted her hand in order for the older woman to shake. "It's really nice to meet you."

"Likewise, I've heard so much about you from both of my boys," Midori said as she turned around. "Follow me, dear. Are you hungry? We're just about to have lunch." Hikari was hesitant about eating with Sora's family, but then nodded in order to be polite. She turned to shut the door all the way, and then followed Midori into the kitchen where she saw Sora kneeling on one of the cushions.

"Hikari!" Sora said alarmed as he stood up. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to say hello and I hoped we could hang out today for a little bit. I know you must be sad that both Hoshi and I are training so much for the final round, so I wanted to ask if you would like to help me train today," Hikari said as she sat down on the cushion next to him and directed a soft smile his way.

"I'll be right back," Midori announced as she walked towards another room. "I'm going to get Hanako."

Hikari looked towards Sora with a raised brow.

"Hanako is my little sister. She's four," Sora informed with a smile. "I'm glad to see you, it's been awhile. To tell you the truth, I have been a little lonely, so I think some time with friends outside is probably good for me."

"I figured," Hikari added with a nod. "So it's settled then?"

"Sure," Sora said with a smirk. "Do you have a trainer yet? Hoshi's been working with my father to get stronger."

"Yeah, I'm working with my uncle," Hikari said with a sigh. "I didn't even know I had one until a few days ago. He's Asami's foster brother and it turns out he is my mother's brother as well. He's a Koizumi."

"Wow, that's great news!" Sora said with a smile. "I'm happy for you; it must be good knowing you have family out there."

"Yeah it does, but I am unsure of how to think about all of this. I'm trying to just get through this month to become a Chuunin and then I think I will focus on getting to know Daisuke better. He's a really nice man and he's sort of like me," Hikari said with a chuckle. "Can you believe my bluntness is a clan trait?"

"That explains a lot," Sora said with a loud laugh. "I always knew you were brutally honest about your thoughts on things, but it always seemed so much more than that. Now that I know it's a family trait, it makes sense that you've inherited generations of blunt honesty. It just comes across so natural for you to spill your tongue with whatever you think."

Hikari chuckled.

"Not all the time, I'm more restrained than that. I only point out negative things that really bother me most of the time. My uncle's worst, he'll tell you his exact first impression of you."

Sora laughed.

"So are you going to move in with your uncle?"

"I don't want to," Hikari said, being completely honest with her friend. "I don't know him very well and I just finally got comfortable where I am. I don't want to have to do that all over again."

Just as Sora nodded the door to the room opened again and Midori walked into the room with, who Hikari assumed was, Hanako walking behind her. Hikari studied Midori for a second and realised that her eyes where a deep forest green. Hikari raised her brow because Hoshi had amber eyes, and Sora blue, but Midori had green.

_"One of them must've inherited their eye colour through their genes…" _Hikari looked down and saw Hanako sit down across from her, but look away shyly. The girl had messy inky black hair and her mother's green eyes. _"Well that doesn't help me know who's eyes are different…" _

"Ok, now we can eat," Midori said with a smile as she started to place the food on the table.

…

"Hey, may I talk to you about something?" Hikari asked as her and Sora walked through the park to get to the training ground she used. Sora turned his head and raised a brow at her.

"Sure," he said with a shrug, though it didn't show because he had his hands folded behind his head. Hikari looked around and spotted a bench, she walked over and sat down, patting the seat next to her.

"Hoshi came to talk to me yesterday, he said you were a bit unlike yourself lately because you haven't been sleeping," Hikari informed in a serious tone. "Is that true?"

Sora sighed as he sat down next to her.

"Is this why you asked me out here with you?" Sora asked with angry eyes. "To interrogate me?"

" Sora," she said seriously.

He let another sigh before he began to speak. "Yeah, I haven't been sleeping well," Sora admitted. "Ever since the forest of death I have been getting less and less sleep. I have this constant ache in my head and I can't sleep very well when it bothers me. I think something might have happened to my head when I hit it."

Hikari frowned as she reached down and took a kunai from within her pouch.

"This is going to feel weird, but don't resist it, okay? I'm going to try and fix the problem if there is one." Hikari continued to slice open one of her fingers and then place it on his lips. "Open up." He did as she was told, and she wiped the blood into his mouth and then further controlled it to go to his brain. She mapped the area and frowned when she saw that he had been right, there was something wrong. "I hope this helps it at all, but I'm going to infuse my blood into the tissue that's damaged. It should heal just fine with my blood speeding up the process, ok?" Once Hikari finished, she drew her hands away from his head. "Do you feel any different?"

Sora sighed with relief.

"Yeah, like a really heavy pressure was taken away. I feel a lot better, the ache is even starting to go away now…"

"I'm not a medical ninja, so I don't really know what was wrong. Perhaps it was a concussion?" Hikari asked herself with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm just glad I was able to help you. Now you should be able to sleep better and not be so unlike yourself." Sora stared into her eyes, and she felt herself beginning to become uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Thank you, Hikari," he whispered as he grabbed her hand. "This means a lot to me."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, and shied away from his grasp.

"Like I said, I'm glad you're feeling better."

He started to lean towards her, but before he had the chance to do anything, she spoke.

"Sora," Hikari said in a stern tone. "No."

He blinked as he suddenly backed away.

"I'm sorry, I haven't a clue of what came over me," he said as he scratched his head. "I think I'm a little scatterbrained today."

"Sora…" Hikari said with sympathetic eyes. "I'm going to be completely honest with you. You're infatuation with me has gotten out of hand. Hoshi told me some of the things you said and to even more honest with you, he thinks you shouldn't be a part of the squad because of your feelings. He thinks it may compromise our teamwork and missions. I didn't want you to leave because I believe it's nothing but a crush and you will get over it. Sora you have to understand that I am…seeing Sasuke, I like Sasuke, and I don't feel any sort of romantic feelings towards you." Sora nodded as he closed his eyes.

"Hikari, you don't even know what to call your relationship with Uchiha," Sora pointed out as he folded his arms. "I wouldn't do that."

"Look, Sora, I don't like you!" she almost yelled. She then sighed and looked away from him. She felt him put his hand on her shoulder.

"What if you and Sasuke break up?"

"I still won't feel anything other than family love towards you. Besides, I think I may actually really like Sasuke. I think I would be distraught if something happened…" Hikari said quietly. "What I'm saying, is it's not likely we're going to ever become more than friends, so you need to focus on becoming a better friend of mine, one I can confide in and tell my secrets to. I don't want to have to push you out of my life, but if this doesn't stop, I may have to."

"I understand," Sora said quietly as he folded his hands in his lap. "I'm sorry that I have caused you trouble, I just believed you really liked me and then Sasuke snatched you up and when he did break your heart you could come to me."

"Sora, that's another thing that has to stop," Hikari said with a frown. "You have to stop assuming we're going to break up. You have to understand I hate hearing that. I really like Sasuke, hell I may even love him, and how do you think it makes me feel when you sit there and say 'when you break up' or 'when he breaks your heart', or even 'when he leaves you'? I hate it, Sora, so you need to stop doing that to me. You're going to make me paranoid and you're going to give me a complex." Hikari smiled. "I know you're just being hopeful and watching out for yourself, but can you try to do some watching over me too?"

Sora nodded and then pulled Hikari into a hug.

"I'm sorry I've been such a bastard lately," Sora said quietly. "I guess I was more concerned with myself than the people around me. I didn't see how I was hurting you or my brother."

Hikari smiled.

"I believe in second chances for the people who deserve them. I believe you haven't done anything wrong yet. I forgive you and I am willing to let you be my friend and my team mate," Hikari said as she pushed him away and put her hand on his shoulder. "Try to be nice to Sasuke though, no matter how much of an ass he is to you. I know it's not the fairest thing to ask, but I'm asking you to be the better man. Be more mature than duck-ass."

Sora smirked.

"I'll try, but I'm not sure how much I will be able to if he starts something."

Hikari smirked and stood to her feet, pulling Sora up too.

"Let's go train now. I want to see what you've got."


	29. Chapter XXVI

_**Chapter XXVI:**_

"The final exam is today," Hikari told Asami in a worried tone, "and worst of all, when I woke up this morning I found out Kakashi hadn't come home; he and Sasuke have probably been training all night."

"That's not so unusual," Asami reasoned. "I was surprised that you and Daisuke didn't train all night with Sora."

"I knew I would need sleep and rest to pull off my match against Hoshi, I wasn't going to over exert myself just to lose in the end. I know I have undeniable limitations, I'm not about to start fooling myself now by pretending that they don't exist." Hikari pouted as she crossed her arms. "Daisuke is representing me in the exam, correct? He's coming with me."

"He and I," Asami said as she walked into her kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, downing the liquid like she had never had the pleasure of bringing moisture to her throat.

"You've been chugging water every half an hour since yesterday, why?" Hikari asked with a raised brow.

"Just in case something happens and my special jutsu is needed. I have to use a heat source and it dries me out like a prune. I put as much moisture into my body as possible before using it," Asami explained as she set the glass into the sink and then walked back over to her couch and sat down beside Hikari.

"You're worried?"

"Well, it's just that something isn't right…I can feel it in my gut. I feel it's better to be safe than sorry…"

"Yeah, you're probably right," Hikari said as she frowned and looked down towards her hands. _"She isn't off. If my father's in the audience, I wouldn't put it past him to do something stupid. He's going to get me caught out, I know it. I wonder how Daisuke, or even Asami would react if they knew the man who raped their sister and then stole her away was in the audience of the exam? I wonder how they would react if they knew his child was me…"_

"Hikari?" Asami asked in a soft tone. "Are you okay?"

Hikari blinked as she looked up at Asami.

"I'm fine, why?"

"Well it's just that you looked so grief stricken for a moment," Asami said in an unsure tone.

"I was just thinking about the exam," Hikari explained with a sigh. "I guess I'm just stressed out."

"You should consider yourself lucky," Asami said as she placed her hand on Hikari's shoulder. "Not many people get to fight someone whose power and technique they know inside and out."

"That's a double-edged sword, because he knows just as much about me," Hikari said with a pout. "It's not exactly a blessing." Hikari sighed. "Even if I do beat Hoshi, I'm not sure I can actually beat Sasuke after. He also knows my fighting style and has a huge leg up in Taijutsu. He also has his Sharingan, however useless it may be to him at the moment, he can still predict my movement."

…

Hikari swallowed as she looked up at the entry way of the arena.

"I'm suddenly feeling really sick," Hikari stated as she looked at her uncle. "I'm not sure I can win this."

"It's not about wining, or losing," Daisuke said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "It's about representing your talent and country to the best of your abilities and showing off that you have the qualities to be a Chuunin-level shinobi."

Hikari swallowed again as she nodded and looked back towards the entrance.

"I promise that I won't let you down," Hikari said quietly as she walked into the arena with Asami and Daisuke following behind her.

"Who's match is first?" Daisuke asked.

"Naruto's, he's fighting Neji Hyuuga," Hikari explained in a drawl, "and then after that, it's my match…I just hope he does well."

"That kid will be fine," Asami said as she rolled her eyes. "He manages to pull through everything, somehow…"

"Okay," Hikari said as she looked towards the other two. "You guys find your seats, I'm going to the arena where the other contestants are. Don't so anything stupid while I'm gone." Asami raised her brow. "I meant Daisuke…"

"That makes sense. Good luck," Asami said with a smile. "You're going to do fine."

…

_"Sasuke's not here yet,"_ Hikari thought as her brows stitched together. She looked around the arena and spotted Sakura. _"Not to mention that Naruto's missing and so is that Dousu guy, now that I think about it…"_ Hikari looked to her left and saw Shikamaru, he was also looking around the arena, and then she turned to her right and saw Hoshi staring at the proctor. Before she could puzzle herself more about the location of the missing Genin, a loud scream caught her ears, followed by a thud and then groaning. She raised her brow and turned around, only to see Naruto face-first in the ground.

"Oh my god! Are you ok, Naruto?" Hikari asked as she turned around and offered him her hand. Shikamaru walked past her and picked Naruto up by his arm, wrapping it around his shoulder.

"I've got this," Shikamaru said as he heaved him up with a sigh. "What a drag."

Naruto suddenly stood on his own and then shoved Shikamaru away.

"Guys run! You won't believe this but they're a huge gang of stampeding bulls coming this way!"

"What?" Shikamaru asked with a raised brow. "Yeah you're right, I don't believe it…"

"I'm serious!" Naruto yelled at him as he clenched both of his fists. "There must be a million of them coming right this way…" he trailed off. "Hey wait…where's Sasuke?"

"I'm fighting Dousu, but he's missing too."

"Hey, knock it off. Quit your fidgeting you two, stand up straight for the spectators…" the proctor announced.

Hikari sighed and walked back to her position next to Hoshi. Cheers suddenly erupted from the crowds, and Hikari felt herself shrink. At home, her father had just promoted her to Chuunin. She had never gone to a big exam like this.

_"If I could just use some of my techniques from home, I could win this match, but now that I have chosen Konoha I have to leave that behind…they're a dead give-away of where I am from." _Hikari sighed as she closed her eyes. She knew somewhere deep down, that a piece of who she used to be had been buried and would never return unless it had to.

"You guys are the heroes of this final competition," the proctor said as he looked around.

_"A hero?"_ Hikari asked herself. _"I have never been called that."_

Hikari looked around the ring and then gulped when she caught sight of Gaara. "He looks unusually murderous today," she muttered to herself.

"Watch yourself," Hoshi warned. "You never know how good a person's hearing is. You might find you're next on his list."

Hikari looked up at him and nodded.

"Right."

"Welcome all," the Hokage's voice boomed throughout the arena. "And our deepest thanks for coming here, Konohagakure, for this year's Chuunin selection. We have come to the final competition between the ten candidates who made it through the preliminaries. We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed, now everyone enjoy."

"Oh…there's one more thing before we get started," the proctor said as he pulled something from within his vest. It was a battle list. "Look it over…there's been a slight change in the match-ups, but now it's set. Everyone take one last look at who you'll be fighting."

Hikari peered at the sheet and sighed with relief when she saw that her match had not changed, only it's timing; she was no scheduled to fight after Sasuke. Even though she knew fighting Hoshi would be hard, because a lot of the Genin in the leaf were extremely well trained, she was glad she wasn't fighting someone like Gaara or Dousu.

"Uh, question?" Naruto asked as he raised his hand. "Question!?"

"What is it?" the proctor asked as he tucked away the sheet.

"I was just wondering what'll happen to Sasuke…I mean, if he doesn't show up?"

Hikari frowned.

_"I wondered the same thing…I hope he shows up, because now I'm really starting to worry about him…did he succumb the curse mark?" _Hikari wondered with a frown plastered on her face. She sighed as her shoulders drooped. _"I can't fight my match and worry about him at the same time…"_

"If a candidate is not in the arena at the time his name is called, he forfeits the match," the proctor responded. Hikari watched as Naruto looked towards the entry way. She felt a hand on her shoulder and then she looked up at Hoshi.

"Don't worry yourself about Sasuke," Hoshi said quietly. "He'll be fine, he wouldn't miss this and you know that."

Hikari nodded at him and relaxed, listening to reason as she looked towards the proctor again.

"Alright, listen up. The terrain's different, but the rules are the same as before, there are no rules. The match continues until one candidate acknowledges defeat or dies. That being said, if I determine that a match is over, I can step in and stop it at any time, and no arguments permitted. Understood?" Hikari didn't need to ask questions, along with everyone else. "Where are the opponents for the first match, Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuuga? Those two stay, the rest of you can go to the waiting area."

Hikari gave Naruto a pat on the shoulder and whispered a good luck, but then did as all the rest of the Genin and left the arena. She sighed once she caught up to Hoshi.

"I'm worried about Naruto…this match seems tough for him," Hikari admitted. "I don't really know the guy named Neji, or his skills, but people say he is really tough. However, whenever I honestly thought that Naruto would fail, he always managed to pull the wool over my eyes. I guess the assumption could be made that he isn't going to lose if past experiences dictate this one."

"Then you shouldn't worry," Hoshi said with a kind smile as he firmly grabbed her shoulder. "You need to worry about yourself; I'm not going easy on you."

Hikari smiled.

"Someone's becoming cocky."

"Do you deny my victory?" Hoshi asked in a smug tone.

"I only play this game with Sasuke because I know I can kick his ass, you, I'm not so sure of…"

Hoshi let a laugh escape his lips.

"Either way, it's not about winning or losing-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Hikari said in a drawl. "It's about being a Chuunin-leveled shinobi and showing that quality off."

"Here, come. Let's go watch Naruto…" Hoshi said as he guided her towards the balcony.

"Why not?" Hikari asked with a smile. "I think he needs someone to cheer him on."


	30. Chapter XXVII

_**Chapter XXVII:**_

"Hikari, come."

Hikari blinked as she looked over her shoulder towards the source of the voice. "Daisuke?"

He walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder as he leant down to whisper in the ear furthest away from Hoshi.

"We have to fill the glove, come on," he ordered as he stood up straight and walked towards the stairs. Hikari nodded as she leaned over the railing.

"GO NARUTO! YOU CAN DO IT!" Naruto lifted his eyes to hers for a moment and gave her a goofy smile before returning to his stare-down with Neji. "I'll be back," Hikari whispered in Hoshi's ear. He nodded as he watched the fight.

With a sigh, that somehow made her feel as if she was mentally preparing herself, Hikari turned around and walked towards Daisuke. They walked for a ways until they came to the stairs, and began to walk down them, blocking out the screams of the crowd watching the exams. When they reached the third platform, he stopped and looked to make sure no one was coming.

"Okay, this should be fine," he said quietly. "Give me the glove."

Hikari did as she was told and watched him take it apart. He pulled a sack from within, made from what looked to be leather.

"It's sealed, so no blood will escape, but as you can see, it holds about a pint."

"That sounds like it will make me faint," Hikari said as she raised her brow at him. Despite her skepticism, she lifted her arm up and placed her wrist in his outstretched, and large, hand.

"Because you have such good control with your chakra, you don't need as much as it carries, but don't forget, once you release the button it releases a certain amount into the blades. Just in case you miss, you should fill it…"

Hikari nodded as closed her eyes when she saw him pull a syringe from within his bag. "I _hate_ needles," she muttered as he wiped the needle down to sterilise it and then injected it into her arm.

"Don't tense," he demanded as he filled the pouch. "It will only make it painful." Hikari nodded and squeezed her eyes shut. After a minute, she sighed with relief when she felt him pull the needle out. Daisuke started to reassemble the glove, and then he gave it back to her.

"All you have to do is press the button and it should work fine."

"Daisuke?" Hikari asked quietly as she grabbed her arm where he had injected the needle. He raised a brow as he looked at her. "You won't be disappointed in me if I lose, right?"

"Of course not," he said with a light smile as he grabbed her shoulder firmly. "You're a Koizumi, all that matters is that you tried your best and you represented our clan with honour." Hikari smiled warmly at her uncle before she rushed forwards and hugged him.

"Thank you for all you've done for me," she said quietly. "It amazes me that you accepted me as your own so fast and made me feel welcomed into this clan. I'm glad, uncle."

"You're my sister's daughter, what do you expect me to do? Leave you in the street without a care? Hell no, a proper Koizumi would never let his own suffer like that. You and I are family, not only through your mother, but through our clan's ways. I wouldn't leave a girl I had never met out in the street if I knew she was a Koizumi, regardless if she was from my branch. You're no different." Daisuke looked her in the eye and smiled. "I will always be here to support and protect you because I wasn't there when you were little. You may feel like you have no family, but you have me."

"Thanks," Hikari said as her heart swelled with happiness. "I…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," he said with a smile. "I can see it in your eyes."

"I'm going for a short walk, but I'll be back before my match," Hikari said with nod as she began to walk away from him.

"Take it easy, you're going to feel a bit faint," Daisuke said in a warning tone. "Don't try to squeeze in last minute training. If you're going to lose, it won't help you now."

…

When Hikari rushed up the stairs, she heard clapping.

"Who won?" she asked Hoshi as she ran towards him.

"Come see for yourself," he said as he pointed. She continued to run until she was next to him and then looked down to see Naruto standing.

"Yes!" Hikari said as she jumped up. "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT, NARUTO!" Naruto gave her a goofy smile and then turned to the crowed with a bashful smile as they started to cheer louder and louder. Naruto started to laugh as he ran forwards and gave the crowd the peace-sign. "What a goof," Hikari said with a smile as she folded her arms.

"We're up after Sasuke," Hoshi said seriously. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'm going to get," Hikari said with a sigh. "No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," he repeated as he grabbed her hand that she had extended and shook it.

"Ah…Naruto defeated Neji?" Shikamaru asked with a sigh. "Oh man, I can't believe it. And here I thought Naruto was the same as me, one of the dorky, un-cool guys."

"Dorky and un-cool?" Shino asked, almost as if he was questioning Shikamaru's reasoning.

"Now everyone's saying he's going to make something big of himself. Just great, I doubt I can beat him now. This is really bad, I've never felt so depressed. What a drag."

Hikari laughed.

"Oh, come on Nara!" Shikamaru turned to look at Hikari with a quirked brow. "Just because Naruto has confidence doesn't mean he can beat the brains! He isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, right? At least you get to fight the knuckle-head, if I win, I have to go onto fight either Gaara or the great Uchiha." Hikari crossed her arms and pouted. "This is so lame, I get pinned up against all the hard opponents…" Shikamaru shook his head and turned back to looking at Naruto.

"I don't know Koizumi," Shino said as he looked at her. "It sounds as if you were calling us all easy…"

"Not my intention," she said with a closed-eyed smile. Her features relaxed when she turned back to the arena. _"Sasuke's next and there's no sign of him…I hope he doesn't get disqualified."_

"Relax, everyone's here to see that match, they wouldn't disqualify him," Hoshi said to Hikari in a whisper. "Just to let you know, Sora's sitting near Hinata and Kiba, so if he cheers for you, you know where to look."

"Won't he cheer for his brother?" Hikari asked with a smirk.

"Nah, he's routing for you. He says he's been training with you, so he's going to cheer for you." Hoshi shrugged. "Not a big deal, I know he'll be happy for whoever wins."

Hikari smiled.

"Well, isn't that nice of him."

"Listen everyone!" Hikari looked down towards the proctor as she leaned over the railing next to Naruto. "One of the competitors from the next battle has not arrived yet, so, we're going to postpone this match briefly and jump ahead to the match that would have followed this one."

"You're kidding?" Hikari asked in a frustrated tone. "I haven't even been able to get over my light-headedness!"

Naruto looked at her curiously.

"Looks like it's our turn," Hoshi said with a shrug. "Let's make our way down."

"Then onto the next battle! Would Hikari Koizumi and Hoshi Hayate please enter the arena."

After Hikari swallowed her nerves, Hoshi grabbed her arm. He led her towards the stairs, knowing that she was probably mentally hyperventilating. Eventually, Hoshi didn't have to lead her anymore, and they walked out of the shadows and into the arena. Hikari swallowed and took in a deep breath.

Hikari stared at Hoshi who stood across the field.

_"I need to get him closer, I'm a midrange type, it won't do if he's that far away…"_ Hikari closed her eyes. _"And worst of all, I don't really know his jutsu selection, he's kept it pretty hush-hush. I only know his communication jutsu and for all I know he could be getting information on how to beat me right now…"_ Hikari opened her eyes. _"I guess I have no choice, it's going to have to start with Taijutsu…"_ Before Hikari could move, Hoshi made a handsign and she froze. However, he disappeared. Her eyes widened. _"Fuck! Teleportation! I should have known…"_ Hikari predicted that he would attack from behind, so she quickly turned around and was lucky enough to catch his fist. She smirked and used her upper strength to throw him back. Hikari ran forwards and threw her gloved fist forwards, slamming it into his gut and then hitting the button. Hoshi froze as the blades entered him, but something felt off to Hikari. She knew as soon as she tried to control the blood what it was.

"A clone?" she asked as she looked around. "When?" Hikari watched as she clone crumbled to dirt. _"Earth style? You're kidding me! I'm doomed, earth beats water!"_ Hikari jumped back and did several back-flips until she had distanced herself, also pulling the blood she had used back to her glove. _"I'm lucky that wasn't a shadow clone, it could have given him an advantage. As if he hasn't already figured it out, but I may be lucky if he is unaware of the glove's purpose."_ Hikari sighed. _"I have to rely completely on my Kekki Genkai and Taijutsu. Ninjutsu is of no use to me because he can beat any water styled technique I throw at him. As it is, this is not looking good for me. Now to find him."_ Hikari looked around and saw him nowhere in sight. "He's underground," she breathed. "He could be trying to freak me out and get me to move into a trap…"

Hikari ran to the trees and jumped up into one, getting high and away from the ground. _"If I'm not touching the earth, he can't trap me without alerting me to his presence. I think I may play the waiting game, he's going to need air soon, that or I should search him out with my Kekki Genkai, but that much blood could kill me. However, water does seep into the ground..."_ Hikari started to form a plan. She looked around and frowned, trying to find something specific. _"I know this area is designed to flood with water…but from where do they flood it? This is going to take a lot of my chakra, but better one large usage to fill the arena with water._ Water Technique: Mizu no Kyodaina Nami!"

It was silent for a moment, and the crowd stared, as if to question the fact that she had actually even done a jutsu. However, a cracking sound could soon be heard and suddenly several large pillars of water burst from the ground, spouting large amounts of water into the arena.

"Found it," Hikari said with a smile. "I knew if water was here, it would have to react to the jutsu."

The water collected and then began to form a giant wave. Hikari controlled it with her chakra, making the arena fill with water until only the tops of the trees could be seen. A large series of gasps erupted as she panted and jumped onto the surface of the small lake she had created, knowing that was the extent of the Ninjutsu she was going to perform; nothing else would work on him.

Hoshi flew out of the water and landed on top of it, but before he could balance himself Hikari jumped towards him and punched him square in the gut, pushing the button on her glove. The blood flowed in and Hoshi's eyes widened.

_"I don't have enough of a hang on my Kekki Genkai to force him to speak and submit, that requires too much finesse for my skill, but boy am I going to do some damage."_

Hikari quickly withdrew her hand as she jumped away from Hoshi and then controlled the blood to make Hoshi feel distracting pain, she didn't want to hurt him, she just wanted him to give in. He shuttered and closed his eyes for a brief moment. However, when Hikari attacked him again, it didn't stop him from being able to defend himself from her advances. Hikari growled in frustration; his taijutsu skills were unreal.

"You must always hold back in training," she yelled as she dodged punched that would easily break bone. _"His skills even exceed that of Sasuke, and I can only beat him on a lucky day."_

Despite knowing she was in trouble, Hikari continued to try and fight him, even managing to land hits, but she felt like her punches weren't getting her anywhere. It looked as if filling the area was not going to help her much, and trying to cause him pain held no effect on his skills. He simply went on as if he couldn't feel the pain.

"It's over," Hoshi said quietly. "Give up now or I will have to hurt you, Hikari. You've lost."

"No!" Hikari choked out as she ducked in order to avoid a punch of his own. "It's not over yet!" The proctor watched the two of them with weary eyes and Hikari began to feel herself tire, physically. She began to apply chakra to her punches, giving them bursts of strength, but not managing to hit him with them. _"I have to get him now, I cannot last much longer!"_

Hikari drew a kunai, hoping that cutting him would help her win. If she could slice him up, maybe he would give in. She came at him again, trying to slash, but it still had no effect, he simply pushed her attacks away as if a child has swatted at him.

"I will not give up!" she yelled as she threw her fist forwards, hoping to cut his face. Hoshi took the liberty of grabbing onto her outstretched arm and then spinning her around so he held a kunai to her throat.

"Give up, or die," Hoshi commanded harshly. "I won't ask again."

Hikari slammed her elbow into his gut and stomped on his foot at the same time. As he closed his eyes in pain she turned towards him and kicked the kunai from his hand.

"I won't give in," Hikari stated. "I do not have someone to back me up if I do, so it's all or nothing. It's only me here and if this were a mission I would be an abomination if I just ran away. I cannot give in, but at the same time, continuing to fight would be suicide because I have no one. However, suicide or not, I know what I have to do."

Hoshi sighed.

"HIKARI DON'T!" Hikari looked up at the bleachers and saw Sora. "IT'S OKAY TO GIVE IN, HIKARI."

"I can't…if I am going to lose, then I will do it by Hoshi's hand," Hikari said quietly. "It's only fair; I signed up for this and I have to go through with it."

Hikari turned back to Hoshi, seeing him do a handsign as he disappeared from her sight in a fraction of a second. He reappeared in front of her and threw a punch, but she blocked it with effort. After she aimed a kick but he grabbed her leg and threw her, and then he rushed forwards and pinned her to the surface of the water, with a kunai held to her throat again.

"Proctor," Hoshi called.

The proctor nodded. "I shall end this match seeing as Hoshi would kill Hikari if he continued. The winner is Hoshi Hayate."

The crowd broke out into loud cheers, leaving Hikari feeling disappointed and like a failure.

_"No doubt father is humiliated with me, again…"_ Hikari thought with a sigh. _"I honestly don't think I could have done anything to win that; Hoshi was superior in every one of my skill sets…"_

"It's okay Hikari," Hoshi whispered when he saw Hikari had tears in her eyes. He walked towards her and then picked her up into his arms. "You did well."

"I can walk," she commented.

"You're tired, I'll carry you up, okay?"

"I want to walk," she muttered, feeling ashamed.

Hikari sighed once again.

"Fine."

Water based ninjas filed into the arena to get rid of the water Hikari had brought, and then earth shinobi repaired the damage she did to the plumbing system as a temporary fix. All that remained of the damage Hikari causes was several large holes all around the arena. Hoshi walked with Hikari to the top of the arena and then gave her a food pill.

"You did well…" He repeated in a reassuring tone. However, she couldn't help but know her father was not thinking the along the same lines, and that upset her despite the fact that she wasn't going to go back to her father. She had just wanted to make him proud, just once.


	31. Chapter XXVIII

_**Chapter XXVIII:**_

"Asami-sensei, I need to get out of this hospital bed!" Hikari yelled with a glare directed towards the door.

"Hikari, you have to recover from your match…" Daisuke said in a worried tone. "The doctor said you really strained your chakra network by moving so much water. You used a risky move and now you have to pay."

"I want to see the other matches!" Hikari demanded.

"You want to see Sasuke," Asami accused. "Fine, well bring you up to the waiting area, but if die or something it's completely on you."

Hikari smiled.

"Good, now come on, carry me uncle~"

"I'm going to murder her…"

…

"What the heck was that, forfeiting the match when he already had it won!?" Naruto yelled as he slammed his hand down onto the rail. "Man that really ticks me off."

"Does is really surprise you all that much, Naruto?" Hikari asked as she rolled her eyes. "This is Nara we're talking about."

"Hey, at least you went until you couldn't fight anymore!" Naruto yelled. "Lazy son of a-" He cut himself off as he climbed up the rail and jumped into the arena.

"Oh my…" Hikari said. "Really?"

"Let's just say he's passionate," Hoshi said with a smirk.

"Or crazy…"

"It's Sasuke's match next…" Hoshi pointed out in a cautious tone.

"He's still not here," Hikari said with a snort. "I'm going to kill him. I knew all this time with Kakashi would go to his head, I bet you anything they're late cause of him!"

"Are you sure it's not that injury he received in the forest?" The whisper of darkness swept through Hikari's mind at the suggestion, her hands tightened on the metal rail until her finger tips turned white.

"I'm positive," she said quietly. _"What if Orochimaru did get his hands on Sasuke? I can only hope that Sasuke would not succumb to that weakness…but…"_

"I'm sorry," Hoshi said quietly. "I didn't mean to make you worry, I was just trying to lay out all the possibilities to consider."

"I know," Hikari replied in a dull tone. "I know it was nothing. Don't worry yourself."

"The crowd is starting to protest…"

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Hikari asked in a huff. "Sing and dance for them?"

"I can imagine that would be entertaining."

"Dream on…" Hikari's eyes wandered to the Hokage. "I think they're discussing Sasuke again, I noticed last time that the ninja was up there they postponed the match, I wonder what's going to happen next…"

"They're probably considering disqualification," Hoshi said seriously. "I cannot imagine why Sasuke would just give up an opportunity this important. I'm sure there are some others who would be a lot more appreciative of the occasion then he's being now…"

"Hey," Hikari said with a glare. "It's not like he's playing hooky, he's just late."

"We'll see…"

"However, late or not, he's starting to piss me off. He could at least get here on time for me. As it is I am feeling very much worn out right now and I'm not sure how long I can stand around…"

"I wonder why that is?" Hoshi asked with a smirk.

"Watch it," Hikari warned with narrowed eyes. "Or I will knock that grin off of your face."

"I'm really getting tired of all this shouting," Hoshi said as he looked around. "The crowd's really not happy."

"I wonder why, this is the only reason they came," Hikari said as she crossed her arms.

"Though they had two other matches that were both amazing. I have to hand it to Naruto and Shikamaru, they know how to entertain," Hoshi said as he looked towards Hikari.

"What about us?" Hikari asked with a smirk.

"I thought ours was good, what about you?" he asked.

"Eh, I found it to be rather dull," Hikari said with a shrug.

"Only because you lost, though I have to admit, it was pretty amazing the way you brought all that water in. The arena must have been filled to have almost twenty-five feet of water in it."

"It almost killed me," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes. "Count on all these twisted people to think almost dying is amazing."

"Looks like you were right about postponing the match. We've been waiting a while, he should have been disqualified by now." Hoshi said. "So are you going to give him a piece of your mind when he shows?"

"Oh, you know me far too well," Hikari said with a grin that slightly unnerved Hoshi.

…

"It looks like his time is up," Hoshi said. "The proctor looks like he's about to call it." Hikari sighed.

"Wow, this is really something…All I want to do is kill him," Hikari said with narrowed eyes.

"Alright!" the proctor called. "The time limit expired, so I'm officially calling this match-"

Hikari sighed with relief as she saw two people appear.

"At the last second possible," Hoshi said with a smirk. Hikari growled as she threw herself over the edge and jumped down next to Naruto. Naruto jumped when he saw her, but then his skin started to crawl when he saw the look on her face.

"Sorry we're late, you wouldn't believe the traffic," Kakashi said with a smile.

"And you are?" the proctor asked.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha."

"Oh my god!" Hikari screeched as she walked forwards and drove her fist towards his face. Sasuke quickly ducked before she could hit him, and grabbed her wrist with an upturned brow. "You little twirp! I'm going to kill you! Do you have any idea how _late_ you are!?"

"So you decided to show up after all?" Naruto asked with a smirk. "I was betting you wouldn't come because sooner or later you would have to face me!"

"So what about you, did you win?" Sasuke asked Naruto, without letting go of Hikari; he knew better, if he did, she'd hit him for sure.

"You know it!"

"Heh," Sasuke said with a smirk. "Well don't get to full of yourself, you're still a loser." Sasuke looked down at Hikari. "And you?"

Hikari sighed and looked away.

"I didn't win, turns out Hoshi's an earth elemental and stronger than you with taijutsu. It felt like I was fighting a Jounin and I got my assed kicked."

Sasuke nodded.

"I told you to work on that."

Hikari looked up at him with a glare.

"Shut up, you're the one who's late…"

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kakashi apologized to the proctor as he rubbed the back of his neck. "How late are we, I mean, it's not like Sasuke's disqualified or anything…right?"

"Like master, like pupil, even down to your lousy sense of time…"

"Well, what about it?" Kakashi asked, this time sounding a little more worried.

"You were so late we extended the deadline for you, twice in-fact," the proctor explain.

Hikari rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "You two are unbelievably stupid…"

"It's lucky for you two that we did, because you just made it; no, he's not disqualified."

"Oh! That's a relief; you had me worried there for a minute…"

Hikari sighed and jerked her fist away from Sasuke.

"Don't lose, okay?" she demanded as she looked him dead in the eyes. "If you made me wait this long and you lose, I might just kill you after all."

"Yeah, just make sure that you don't lose to this guy," Naruto added as he looked up at Gaara.

"Got it."

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "Don't lose…"

"You just said that, you idiot…" Hikari muttered.

"I want to fight you myself," Naruto added.

"Got it…"

Hikari sighed.

"Well I'm done yelling down, so I'm heading back up…HEY HOSHI!"

In a few seconds Hoshi appeared next to her.

"Really, Hikari?"

"Yes, teleport me back up, like you said, I'm tired…" she said with a smirk.

"Yet you were well enough to throw yourself over the edge if the balcony and jump?"

"I used up all my reserved strength," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Hoshi sighed and picked her up. "Bye-bye Sa-su-ke!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he watched her disappear. When she got back up to the stand with Hoshi she smiled.

"It was nice seeing him, I feel a lot more relieved…but seriously, what is he wearing?"

Hoshi chuckled.

"I was wondering when you'd comment on that…"

…

"Seriously, he's just starting with shuriken?"

"Maybe it wouldn't have been harmful for you to do the same," Hoshi said quietly. Hikari grumbled and rolled her eyes.

"What's with this guy? Why is he using sand? Is he earth based?" Hikari asked as she folded her arms.

"One would assume, but seeing as he's from Sunagakure, it doesn't surprise me that he's using sand. However, surprising or not, he has unreal control over it, down to every last grain…" Hikari leaned on the railing for support, feeling her knees start to get weaker.

"If he's going to avoid the sand, he has to be quicker about it," Hikari mumbled. "That sand is moving fast…" Sasuke disappeared from in front of Gaara and then reappeared behind him. "What!? He couldn't do that before!"

"He looks like Lee when he fights," Hoshi said with a quirked brow. "He must have copied his jutsu…"

"The Sharingan!" Hikari said with a nod. "So that's how…but to master this Taijutsu in less than a month?" Hikari was breathless. "That's incredible. Wow, I suddenly feel like I epically suck. To think, I used to be on par with him, there's no way I would be now…" Hikari sighed. "That's suddenly depressing. I wish I could copy jutsu…"

Hoshi chuckled.

"If your Taijutsu had been just a bit better than it is now, you would have been on par with me, hell you even could have beat me. I was foolish using the teleportation so much, it takes a lot out of me…"

"Don't lie to me, I would have never beaten your taijutsu…"

"Okay, but you might have done better than you did…"

…

"I can't believe he's kicking Gaara's ass," Hoshi said with surprised laced into his tone. "I actually thought he'd lose. There's something off about Gaara though, so I'm not putting any bets on the winner, however, now it looks like they might be on par…"

"I cannot believe you just swore…" Hikari pointed out with a shrug. "Sasuke'll win, you watch."

"You're sure?" Hoshi asked quietly.

"He wants to fight Naruto…he'll win to do it…" Hikari fixed her eyes on the battle again. "I don't have a doubt in my mind…"

"It looks like he has a bit of trouble keeping the speed up," Hoshi said with a sigh. "He won't be able to maintain it forever…"

"He won't need to…" Hikari sent him a light glare. "Just shut up and watch already…"

"Yeesh, yes mom…" …

"I'll be back," Hikari stated.

"Don't you want to watch the fight?" Hoshi asked with a raised brow.

"I do, but I have to go to the bathroom," the said as she bit her lip. Hoshi sighed.

"Okay, don't take too long."

Hikari nodded and walked down the stairs at a slow pace.

_"I feel so weak,"_ she thought as she tried to keep her eyes opened. _"I feel like my strength is slowly being drained out of me, I keep on getting progressively more tired. I didn't feel like I used so much chakra in strength in the match, but maybe I should have stayed in the hospital…I'm not sure I was ready to walk around yet…"_

Hikari sighed as she pushed open the bathroom door. She walked to the sink and turned on the warm water, scrubbing her hands under it and then splashing it in her face. She used her hands to wipe away the droplets of water running down her cheeks. Hikari looked up into the mirror and saw a pair of eyes staring back at her own. Before she could scream at the sight behind her, the person reached around her and held a cloth over her nose and mouth. p_"How did I not sense their chakra!?"_ Her eyes started to feel heavy and her knees began to feel weakly numb. She looked at his forehead protector and took in one final piece of information before she collapsed from unconsciousness, he was a sound ninja.

"I have her," the man said into his walkie-talkie. "I did as you said; I have been slowly draining her chakra since she got here. She is not out of it yet, but you can see the effects. What should I do now?"

"Bring her away from the scene," a choppy voice responded through the radio speaker. "Master doesn't want her anywhere near the area that's going to be destroyed. He still has further use for her, so he doesn't want her to die."

"Copy that. I'll bring her somewhere I know she won't get hurt," the man holding her said into the radio. "I'll send the coordinates to you by messenger."

"Okay. Hurry up."


	32. Chapter XXIX

_**Chapter XXIX:**_

"Have you seen Hikari?" Asami asked Kakashi urgently.

"I have not," Kakashi said as he broke his gaze from the match and look towards her with a concerned eye. "What's happened?"

"Hoshi said that she left to go to the bathroom and hasn't come back yet. I checked all the bathrooms and she isn't in any of them," Asami reported. "My brother, Hoshi and Sora are also looking for her and they haven't been able to find her either. She just vanished."

"That's strange," Kakashi said in a strained tone. "She wouldn't miss Sasuke's match."

"What's going on?" Sakura asked as she looked back at the two sensei. Asami looked down at Sakura with a smile.

"Nothing for you to worry about. Watch Sasuke and support your team-mate, okay?" Sakura blinked and nodded as she watched Asami grab Kakashi and take him to the back of the arena.

"Look, Kakashi, I know you know that there is a chance Orochimaru's lurking about," Asami said as she checked to make sure anyone suspicious wasn't listening. "I also know that your student has the heaven curse-mark, but he isn't the only Genin in Konoha to have been given that snake's poison…"

"Hikari was bitten in the forest as well?" Kakashi asked in a stern tone. "Why wasn't I told? I'm her guardian!"

"No, she wasn't bitten then, she was bitten about three years ago," Asami said as she crossed her arms. "I only found out myself a couple of days ago. She also threatened to make sure I lost my job if I told anyone about what I saw; she pulled confidentiality on me. I was going to ignore protocol and tell you anyways, but I haven't been able to until now." Asami sighed. "I recognise that it's you who takes care of her, but as you know, Hikari is my kin."

"You don't understand, Asami," Kakashi said quietly. "From the beginning I have been told to watch that girl closely to make sure she isn't a spy. Why would Orochimaru put a curse mark on a regular orphan? It doesn't add up. I don't know if she is a spy, or if he put the mark on her because she is a Koizumi, but she would have to be a prodigy to make him interested in her."

"You were told to spy on her?" Asami asked with horror.

"She has done some suspicious things," Kakashi said. "It's just to keep the village safe." Kakashi turned and began to walk away from her, intent on finding Hikari.

"Wait, Kakashi!" Asami said as she rushed in front of him. "There is another reason why Orochimaru might mark her other than her already being a skilled kunoichi."

"And what might that be?" he asked with a raised brow.

"I have told you that Hikari is my sister's daughter, but not who my sister was," Asami whispered. "My sister was the last prodigy of the Koizumi, Shizuka Koizumi."

"That's your sister?" Kakashi asked in a hushed whisper with widened eyes.

"Yes, maybe Orochimaru thought it might run in her blood and tracked down her daughter and marked her," Asami said seriously. "It might not be that Hikari was a ninja at all, but maybe she had hoped to come to Konoha to be _protected_ from Orochimaru."

"That would clear up a lot of inconsistencies in her story…maybe she has been running from Orochimaru ever since he marked her and was too afraid to admit her connection to him," Kakashi said as he crossed his arms. "Her parents might have died long before that explosion and that was just the last place she was hiding."

"That's what I was thinking," Asami said with a nod of her head. "There is not a bad bone in Hikari's body; you should know that first hand, you have been living with her for months." Asami looked around again to make sure no one was listening. "Help me and then we can ask about Orochimaru."

"What do you want me to do?" Kakashi asked as he looked towards the arena.

"Stay here and watch for her. Daisuke and I are going to look around the outside of the arena."

"Okay. If she shows up, I will send Pakkun to you."

"Understood," Asami said with a nod. "Do not ask her about Orochimaru until Daisuke and I are there though, she may feel nervous and cornered if you do."

"Right," Kakashi said with a nod.

"Tell Sakura not to worry, okay?"

Kakashi nodded as he turned back and walked towards where he was standing before.

"Is everything alright, Sensei?" Sakura asked again. "Asami-sensei looked really worried."

"It's nothing to worry about," Kakashi said with his signature closed-eyed smile. "It's under control."

…

Hikari awoke, but did not open her eyes because she heard voices.

"When is she going to wake?"

"I gave her a pretty heavy sedative, she won't be up for a few hours…"

_"That voice…I know it, but from where?" _

"Does that mean I can go back to my post?"

"Yes, our instructions were to leave her here to wake and wander into the destruction. She's out of the arena and harm's way, that's what Orochimaru wanted."

"May I ask why, sir? What's so important about this girl?"

"She's the key to getting Sasuke…if we keep this up, we're going to drive a wedge in between her and him…that's what we want. We want to drive them apart because he won't leave if his feelings for her still linger. His hate for Itachi has to be stronger than his attachment to her."

"Understood."

"Good…now we just have to get some of the nuisances of her past away from her. If she keeps on dwelling on her father, we won't get anything done." Hikari heard footsteps and their voices begin to fade. She blinked and opened her eyes only to see the backs of two figures walking under the cover of shady trees and getting further away by the second. Hikari abruptly stood up and then had to quickly grab out for something when her legs felt weak under her; she managed to snag a tree branch and save herself from falling.

"Where am I?" Hikari whispered as she scanned her surroundings. She vaguely remembered the scenery but had trouble placing where. She let go of the branch and found that she was able to balance on her own two feet and took small steps forwards. "That sedative must not have completely worked on me. I think it might have successfully made my body feel tired, but it couldn't make me sleep very long…"

Hikari sighed as she took more slow steps into the forest around her. She eventually came to a clearing and found that she was behind an estate. Her eyes widened when she saw the Uchiha crest carved into the surface of the buildings and then painted to show off its colours.

"The Uchiha compound?" she mouthed as she walked closer. "I'm on the completely opposite side of the village from the exams…there's no way I'm getting back in this condition."

Hikari gazed at the estate with a saddened expression tugging at her features. She felt discomfort lick at her gut; she could almost imagine a faceless shinobi spilling the blood of the innocent and then standing over Sasuke with a raised katana. A shiver managed to crawl up her spine and make her shudder and want to look away, but she couldn't, he eyes were glued. After she had imagined the massacre several times, she tore her gaze away from the walls and realised she felt tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh god…I think I have grown to care a little too much since he kissed me," she said to herself as she held her head.

"Are you in love, Hikari?"

Hikari looked over her shoulder and saw Sora step out from the cover of the trees.

"Would you be alright if I was?"

Sora nodded.

"It would…I know that if you stay with Sasuke, you'll be happy and that makes me happy and I'll always have you as a friend. I also know if something happens to him though, I will always be here to help you through that and that makes me happy too. I know that I can be a loyal friend…"

"Thank you," Hikari whispered. "But if something happened to him, I might be dead on the inside. He's changed me, Sora, in ways I didn't think were possible. If he goes, all of that would be ripped away."

Hikari remembered what she heard when she was pretending to be unconscious and she frowned.

"What happened?" Sora asked as he looked around. "You look like hell. How did you get here? I found you because your chakra suddenly spiked a couple of minutes ago…I happened to be close by, I decided to check your house."

"I got drugged in the bathroom…I guess I was carried here. Orochimaru's going to attack the village, however, I can barely move…"

"Why were you carried away and how do you know this?" Sora asked with a raised brow.

"They said he wants me alive because of the curse he put on me," Hikari stated, telling him half of the truth.

Sora blinked as he looked towards the horizon.

"We should warn the Hokage…"

A loud crash sounded and then screaming.

"It's already begun," Hikari said quietly as she looked towards the other side of the village with him. There was giant snakes slithering through the streets and crushing the buildings. "I hope Sasuke's alright."

"Let's get you somewhere safe…"

Hikari looked up at Sora and then nodded.

"That sounds fine to me…let's find Asami."


	33. Chapter XXX

Hikari sighed as she patted down the unfamiliar fabric of the clothes she had just slipped on. She smoothed out the wrinkles in the black dress particularly around where her legs were underneath it and then pulled on a pair of black ninja sandals. She had worn her only formal-looking black dress, however, it had cherry blossom print on it. She reached towards her dresser and put on her necklace and then used her brush to tie up her hair, it had gotten long enough to put in a ponytail. She swept her bangs to the side of her face and then studied herself in the mirror to make sure she looked presentable.

"Are you ready yet?" Kakashi asked quietly from the doorway.

She nodded and looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Who would have thought," the said quietly as she smoothed out the short-sleeved and silky Chinese-styled dress once again, "the Hokage would die by Orochimaru's hand…"

"Speaking of Orochimaru, Asami and I need to talk to you about him…and soon."

"Alright…," she said. Hikari walked past Kakashi and heard him shut her bedroom door softly. "Even though I didn't know the Hokage very well, I cannot help but want to cry."

Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder.

"I understand," he said quietly. "It's hard to deal with the death of a role-model, especially the one who reached out to you when you needed help most. I can understand why you feel so sad because you never got to repay the kindness the Hokage offered you."

Hikari nodded.

"I just hope I can make it up by offering his family the same kindness he showed me," Hikari muttered as she opened the front door to the house and exited down the steps. The sun barely rose above the horizon, but Hikari understood why he wanted to leave so early in the morning and she also understood that eventually they would head their own ways; Kakashi towards the stone that his friend's names are engraved on, and her to meet Asami and Daisuke at the Koizumi shrine to pray for her mother.

"Are you sure you're feeling up to walking? I know it must be hard with the lack of chakra…"

"That Sound shinobi probably thought he was screwing me over by sealing away almost all of my chakra and putting me into a state of constant weakness, but even if I have to crawl to this funeral, I'm not going to let it stop me from getting there." Hikari paused. "I owe the Hokage that much."

Kakashi nodded.

"We'll find a way to fix you, and even if it's hopeless as some people are saying, I know you will get past it with your sheer determination," Kakashi said with a light smile. "I would expect nothing less from you."

"Thank you, however, I would prefer not to think about what's happened to me. Instead, I would like to reflect upon the Hokage today and thank him for letting me get this far…"

Kakashi sighed. "I understand."

…

Hikari stood in between her team mates feeling tears well up because of Konohamaru's crying; she couldn't help but think of when her mother died, it had been the last funeral she attended. She felt the caress of rain on her cheeks, and felt her tears roll along with it. Sora grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"Are you okay?" he mouthed.

Hikari hung her head and then she felt Hoshi grab her other hand.

"It's going to be okay…" he whispered to her.

"That crying…" Hikari whispered in return, "it wrenches my heart…"

"We are gathered here to remember and honour, not only the third Hokage, but all those who sacrificed themselves in this battle so that our village would survive," the male village elder spoke from in front of the Third's memorial. Hikari watched the rain splash onto her toes and the ground. She was too sad to look at any of the other shinobi. Instead, she reflected on the time she spent with the Third, though it wasn't very long and she didn't know him very well, he was kind. Everything he stood for was protecting his village and people, which she really respected. The thought that would put everyone else above his own life and risk everything for the safety of his people, even her own, made Hikari know what it took to be a Hokage. She just hoped Naruto was prepared for such a task.

She lifted her head and looked around, not really surprised that Kakashi had not arrived yet. Asami and Daisuke stood behind her and only then did she notice her uncle's hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you," she muttered, "for supporting me."

Sora and Hoshi nodded without taking their eyes away from the elders, they too were dressed in the colour of mourning. The Genin started to line up with their flowers, so she walked to the back of the line and ended up behind Sasuke. She looked at him affectionately and was so thankful that he had not been one of the casualties; if he had been, she highly doubted that she would have been able to drag herself out of bed or convince herself that her time in Konoha wasn't just a horrific nightmare. Hikari knew that she wouldn't have wanted to wake up and she could only imagine what the Third's family was feeling; especially little Konohamaru who was probably dwelling on the thought that he would never see his grandfather again. That was the worst thing for Hikari, knowing that she would never be able to see or hear her mother again. She wouldn't be able to hug her, or tell her about Sasuke. If Hikari got married, her mother wouldn't be there to see it, and worst of all, her children would never know where they came from. The thought brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Hikari only felt okay crying because it was raining, she knew that a good shinobi was never supposed to shed a tear, but she also knew that bottling emotions was not healthy and she couldn't help but let the liquid sadness fall at the sound of Konohamaru's pain. She walked up to the altar and then bowed.

"Thank you, for everything," she murmured as she place the flower onto the pile of them and then bowed again. She stood up straight and followed Sasuke away from the shrine, feeling that she wanting to get out of the area as fast as she could; she didn't want to deal with hearing Konohamaru anymore, but she respected the Third too much to do that. The rain suddenly stopped, however, Hikari could stop her tears. Shameful or not, she was willing to feel sad and shed the tears for the former Hokage. As the sun came out though, Hikari began to feel lighter and her mood lighten up. She knew that the Hokage was aware of his funeral somewhere. She smiled and gave her head one last bow to the picture before turning to leave with everyone else.

…

"What are you doing now?" Sora asked.

"I'm going to go visit my personal shrine for my mother," Hikari said quietly. "And I'm going to bring someone with me."

Hoshi nodded.

"We understand, go…"

Hikari ran forwards to team seven.

"May I steal this member away?" Hikari asked with a small smile. Sasuke looked at her curiously as she grabbed him by the wrist. "I want to bring you somewhere special, come on."

Sasuke said goodbye to his team mates with a nod of his head and then walked away with Hikari still holding his arm.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I know you've probably had enough with the mourning, but I wanted you to come with me to my mother's shrine. It's important to me, and I think you should come and meet her," Hikari said as she looked up at him and then slipped her hand into his. He nodded as he squeezed her hand while she led the way. Eventually the two came to Kakashi's home, and they went around back and into the yard. She walked over to the trees and then showed him a small table with a picture frame on it. Over the table, a canopy rested, protecting the shrine from rain. She place one of the white flowers down and then lit one of the incense sticks in a mound of earth piled inside of a container with a match from her pocket. She folded her hands together and then said a prayer for her mother.

"Sasuke, this is my mother, Shizuka Koizumi."

He looked at the picture with his onyx eyes.

"I can see the similarities…" he said quietly. "You have the same eyes and even the same face, however her hair is different."

"Yes, full of volume and large wavy-curls, not to mention that it's dark red in colour," she said with a smile. "I want to tell you something my uncle told me." Sasuke looked down at her to signify that she had his attention. "Before a lot of bad things happened to her, she lived here in the village and she had a fiancé named Haruo and she was deeply in love with him," Hikari explained quietly. "Can you guess what his last name was?" Sasuke raised his brow. "I'll give you a hint, the same one that Asami gave me when I was told. 'In that way, you and your mother are no different' is that Asami told me."

"He was an Uchiha," Sasuke muttered quietly as he looked into Hikari's eyes.

She nodded with a sigh.

"I don't know if he died before the massacre or during it but I really wish he were alive, because if he was, I could know more about my mother and what her life was like…and what mine could have been like too," Hikari muttered with a saddened sigh.

"You said your father died during the explosion…"

"He did, Haruo was not my father. My mother was kidnapped and raped. She didn't want to come back to the leaf after that, so she went to the village that I lived in until it was attacked…" Sasuke did not respond to the comment, though this didn't surprise Hikari. "I get sad around this time of year…" Hikari spoke up quietly. "This is when she died…"

Sasuke nodded.

"I understand…" he murmured. Hikari stood and then grabbed his hand.

"Come on, come inside while I change and then we'll go take a walk around the village. I want to hear about your training…" Hikari suggested.

Sasuke nodded and walked into the house behind her, taking one last look at the altar that had a small waft of smoke rising from the incense.


	34. Chapter XXXI

_**Chapter XXXI:**_

"Hikari, Asami and I would like to talk to you," Kakashi said as he stepped in front of her before she could depart the apartment.

"Uh, okay," Hikari said looking between them. She got the seriousness of their tone and then walked to the couch, sitting herself down. "About what?"

"Orochimaru," Asami said as she looked towards Kakashi. "I was forced to tell him about your mark…I am so sorry. I thought that Orochimaru had abducted you and I was right." Hikari tensed but continued to listen. She knew she could talk her way out of it if something bad happened.

"Look, you told Asami that Orochimaru marked you three years ago," Kakashi said as he looked Hikari in the eye. "But why would he care about an orphan who lives in the street?"

"He told me he wanted my Kekki Genkai and that I was destined to be the strongest Koizumi," Hikari told them, not exactly lying.

Asami leaned towards Kakashi and then whispered something.

"Hikari, you weren't really an orphan from your village, were you?" Asami asked. Hikari's eyes widened and she felt her fingers twitch, just itching to grab a kunai; her instincts told her that killing was her only defense against questions. She had to hold it at bay. "Was Orochimaru chasing you across the fire-country?"

Hikari instantly went with her story.

"Yes…he has been after me for years," Hikari said as she folded her arms. "My mom and dad both died when I was a kid, murdered by Shinobi. I have been on the run from Orochimaru ever since. Every time he found me he would always talk about how he wanted to train me to make me wonderful. I was scared of him."

"Why were you in the village then when it exploded?" Asami asked as she looked towards Kakashi.

"Well, I had been there for a month or two, it was pretty low-key and easy to hide," Hikari said with a shrug. "When the shinobi attacked, I was knocked unconscious and awoke to an opportunity to go to Konoha…the safest place for me."

"Why not seek refuge before then?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.

"I was afraid that if I mentioned my connection to Orochimaru, you might not accept me…I didn't realise his connection to this village," Hikari said with a shrug. "I am really sorry I lied to you, but I couldn't help it."

Asami sighed.

"Please, can we bring this up when there is a new Hokage?" Hikari asked with a frown. "I don't want to think about Orochimaru right now, I just want to try and find a way to get better."

…

"Hikari, I had this repaired for you." Hikari blinked as she turned around and saw Daisuke approach her, holding her glove in his hand.

"Hey uncle," Hikari said giving him a small smile. He gave her the glove, but his eyes landed on Sasuke with a questioning look, he folded his arms. "Oh, this is Sasuke."

"Pleasure," Daisuke said as he put out his hand for Sasuke to shake. "I saw you fight in the exam, you were quite good."

Hikari rolled her eyes as she stepped on Sasuke's foot. He coughed and then looked at her with a light glare.

"Thank you," he muttered.

Daisuke let out a booming laugh.

"It seems I have no need to worry, it looks like Hikari can handle things on her own!" Hikari smiled. "You're so much like your mother; I know I say that too much." Daisuke put his hand on her shoulder. "I came to say good-bye. I'm going to leave for about a week. I need to check on my own village and make sure everyone's safe. I shall return though because, no offence to the residents of Konoha, but this place is a mess and needs all the help it can get." Hikari nodded. "Don't worry, as your personal trainer I won't be gone very long, but you can manage by yourself, right?"

"I think so," Hikari responded.

"Have you been to the hospital to see if they can do anything about your chakra?" Daisuke asked as he looked at her curiously. "While you're so low on it, you won't be able to heal yourself. However, knowing you, it's the healing of others I should advise against. Don't do it, it will kill you."

"I know," Hikari said with a nod. "And I have been to the hospital, they told me the only person who could probably help me is some woman named Tsunade. However, she also has a reputation of being absent from the village twenty-four-seven."

"Oh, the slug-queen," Daisuke said with a smirk. "She's got quite the temper, good luck finding her. However, I know the village elders are prowling for a new Hokage and I heard they want to put in Master Jaraiya. If anyone is going to know where Tsunade-sama is, it's him…"

"I think instead of all these wild goose chases, I'll take my chances," Hikari said with a laugh. "I'm not even sure it's a good idea for me to leave the village, forget trying to find someone."

"You're probably right. Okay, I have to go. Take care," Daisuke said as he started to walk away.

"Yeah, you too!" Hikari called after him. After he was out of earshot, Sasuke suddenly spoke up.

"What happened to you?"

"During the exam, your fight to be specific, I was abducted as you know. However, I have failed to tell you that they also sealed off most of my chakra. They really messed up my chakra network. I won't be able to do any jutsu or even heal myself at the moment because I don't have the necessary chakra to do so."

Sasuke sighed. "And he thinks you can handle yourself?"

Hikari let out a laugh. "I'll be fine as long as I don't leave the village, it's not like there's any danger here." Hikari fell silent and then looked around before she spoke again. "May I ask you something, Sasuke?" He looked up at her and nodded. "You seem really put-off lately. You've distanced yourself from me and you act like you don't even want to talk to me, forget about spend time with me. Did I do something wrong to upset you?"

"No," he said curtly. "It's just what happened at the exam…It brought up memories." He sighed. "I felt so weak, Hikari. I couldn't do anything to save my team mates and in the end, Naruto…"

"So that's why you've been a bit strange," Hikari said quietly. "I understand. I didn't feel much better when I got abducted, I didn't even sense the person's chakra and I know I should have. I could have been a valuable asset to the village, but I let myself get carried away by that creep. Also, now I'm useless to do anything because I don't have any chakra. So yes, I know how you feel."

Sasuke nodded.

"We'll find someone to help you," he said quietly.

"I think I need to learn how to help myself by now…"

"Maybe now's the ideal time for a sparring match," Sasuke said with a smirk. "I heard your Taijutsu needs a lot of work."

"Shut up," Hikari demanded with a playful shove at his chest.

"With no chakra you'll need your Taijutsu, come on." He grabbed her hand. "We haven't sparred since before the exam."

Hikari smiled.

"Okay…fine…whatever…"

Hikari knew she wasn't exactly feeling up to it, but she also knew that sparring was a way that she and Sasuke had originally bonded; maybe he felt the gap in between them too, but what really made her happy is despite everything that had happened, he was making an effort to try and fix it. Hikari decided that she needed to as well.

…

"Hey, Kakashi," Hikari said as she walked up to him. "What are you just waiting here for?"

"I asked Sasuke to meet me here," Kakashi said looking away from his book. "That's all."

"And you got here first?" Hikari asked with a raised brow. "Are you feeling alright?"

Kakashi laughed and swatted her hand away from his forehead.

"I'm fine, I just didn't cross any black cats today is all."

"I bet you've never even seen a black cat," Hikari muttered. Hikari looked around him and up at the shop he was standing in front of. "You've invited Sasuke for tea and dumplings…?" Hikari paused as she looked at him with a raised brow. "You do realise that Sasuke hates anything sweet, right?"

Kakashi chuckled.

"It's as if you know more about my own student than I do," Kakashi said.

"You just dodged my question…" Hikari sighed. "Fine, hide the truth from me, but rather you like it or not, I will find out."

"Would you like to wait here with me?" Hikari shrugged.

"Sure, I've got nothing else to do seeing as Sasuke demanded that I work on my Taijutsu. Ugh, having no chakra supply is really going to kill me, we sparred and he was allowed to use jutsu while I couldn't…you wouldn't even believe how many times I got burned. I swear that when I get my jutsu back, he's going to _pay_…"

"Well, to be fair, you did lose your match based on Taijutsu…" Kakashi chuckled.

"Or the fact that Hoshi uses earth-based jutsu and I use water…" she grumbled as she looked away from him. Her eyes trailed to a shop and landed on two figures that looked really suspicious to her. She looked at Kakashi with a raised brow and then rolled her eyes towards them, he nodded. Something was up.

_"Is that why he called Sasuke?" _

"Hey guys," Kakashi called. Hikari looked up and noticed two other Jounin. She knew one of them to be Shikamaru's sensei, Asuma, but she had never seen the other. "You two seem to be getting along well."

"Idiot, Anko just asked me to pick up some rice dumplings for her," the woman responded.

Hikari shuttered at the name of the crazed exam proctor.

"What are you doing here aside from catching up on your reading?" Asuma asked with a quirked brow. "And who is this?"

"Who? Her?" Kakashi asked pointing to Hikari.

_"Thanks, so kind of you to treat me like an object…"_

"This is Hikari, she's the orphan who was moved into my house," Kakashi said with a smile from under his mask. "And why I'm here? I need to buy something to put on a grave, plus I'm meeting somebody here. I'm just waiting on Sasuke."

"Heh, it's not like you to be waiting on somebody," Asuma said as he looked towards the strangers in the shop.

_"They know what they're talking about with just glancing a certain way. They could even be planning an attack right now. I wish I could do that, but I only get so far with looks." _

"Is it for Obito?" Asuma asked.

"Obito?" the girl mirrored as she looked towards Asuma.

"Yeah…kind of…"

"Kakashi, it's not like you to show up early, what gives?" Hikari blinked and looked towards Sasuke with a smile. "Hikari too?"

"Well, sometimes I do…"

"Hi," Hikari said with a smile as she walked up to him. "I'm going to murder you for all the burns you gave me. You better sleep with one eye open, Uchiha."

Sasuke looked towards the shop and frowned.

"Let's eat somewhere else, I don't have much of a sweet tooth…"

"Told you," Hikari said with a sigh.

"Hmm, is that so?" Kakashi said as he nodded at the two Jounin, they gave curt nods in return and then they disappeared.

Sasuke raised a brow and then looked at Kakashi.

"Hikari take Sasuke to the house and show him that new weapon," Kakashi instructed in a light tone, though she knew there was more going on than met the eye.

"Okay," Hikari said with a nod.

"I'm sorry to call you here and then leave, but I just realised that I have a meeting I'm supposed to be at…how about another day then?"

"Whatever…"

Hikari grabbed his hand and then led the way to Kakashi's house, trying to reframe from acting strange; whoever those people in the shop were, Kakashi did not want Sasuke around them, which led her to wonder who it was. Her mind settled on two candidates and her eyes drifted to his curse mark.


	35. Chapter XXXII

_**Chapter XXXII:**_

"They're trouble, but from the look of things it doesn't seem like they found Naruto yet," Gai said as he looked down at Kakashi.

"That's what's crazy," Asuma said as he sat down on the dresser in Kakashi's room. "It doesn't add up; I mean they already infiltrated the village. It should be easy for them to find Naruto around here. Besides, Itachi knows Naruto's face already…"

"Shush," Gai said.

"Kakashi?" the door opened and Sasuke walked in, followed by Hikari. Hikari gasped and even Sasuke's eyes widened upon the sight of his teacher.

"Why is Kakashi asleep?" Hikari closed her mouth and looked towards the ground, "and why is this room full of Jounin? What are you doing? What in the world is going on here?"

Sasuke's voice came out very demanding, but Hikari assumed he was just worried, however, she knew that Sasuke was aware that something was going on.

"Ah, not much, really…" Gai said quietly.

"Is he okay?" Hikari asked timidly.

"Hey!" Hikari looked back towards the door and saw another shinobi enter. "Is it true that Itachi has returned?" Hikari's eyes widened as she looked towards Sasuke, "and that he's come here to get Naruto!?"

Gai sighed and put his hand to his head as Sasuke slowly turned around.

_"That must have been who was in the shop…"_

"Idiot…" Kuranei said.

Sasuke pushed past the guy and ran. Hikari started to follow, but Gai grabbed her wrist.

"You're in no condition," Gai said, "your chakra network."

Hikari glared and yanked her hand away and ran after Sasuke, this was bad and she knew it, she couldn't just let him run off. Gai didn't even know her, what right did he have to lecture her about chakra?

…

Hikari was mildly surprised that she could hardly keep up with Sasuke as he ran, normally she didn't have an issue, but this just told her that he was desperate.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, wait!" Hikari ran until she got next to him and then grabbed his arm. "Just slow down!"

"I have to find Naruto! He's in danger!"

_"If Itachi did that to Kakashi, Sasuke is nowhere near his match,"_ Hikari thought as she looked at Sasuke with distress, she didn't know what to do but follow him and hope nothing bad would happen. She just hoped if everything was going to turn for the worse, someone would find them.

…

"Sasuke! If Naruto's with Jaraiya he's safe!" Hikari yelled as they ran through the outpost town. "Jaraiya is a Sanin. There is no way even your brother could defeat him!"

"I have to warn them!" Sasuke yelled. "Itachi single-handedly killed my entire family!"

Hikari sighed as she followed him, he wasn't about to listen and she knew he wasn't there to warn anyone, he wanted blood.

"I guess we'll just have to go door to door," Sasuke said as he looked around. Hikari nodded and followed him into a hotel. "Is there a dopy looking blond kid here, about my age? He's traveling with an old man, a guy with white hair!"

"I'm sorry but this inn is for women only-" Before the clerk could finish, Sasuke started to run.

"Thank you," Hikari said to the clerk as she started to run after him. "Sasuke!"

He suddenly jerked to a stop and turned to face her.

"Don't try and stop me!"

Hikari was taken aback by his harsh tone.

"I wasn't…" she said quietly. "I know you're too stubborn to convince you to do the smart thing, so I was going to suggest we split up and look, that way we cover more ground…"

Sasuke looked down.

"I'm sorry…"

"It doesn't matter." Hikari said with frustration, "just tell me what to do, we're wasting time!"

"Okay, you take that side and I'll take this side," he said pointing to the inns on both sides of the road.

"Got it. You should hear screaming if I find them, because you know, I have no chakra and I'm practically a sitting duck…" Sasuke's face turned to an expression of unease. "Don't worry, I'll be okay, I promise nothing will happen to me."

Hikari turned around and ran towards the nearest inn.

…

"Is there a blond boy and a white haired old man staying in this hotel?" Hikari asked the clerk in front of her. "The boy would be about my age and he's wearing all orange."

The person looked up at her and then thought for a moment.

"Yeah, there is."

"Can I please have the room number? I have to tell them something urgent!" Hikari informed the clerk in a rushed tone.

"Yeah it's on the second floor, right side, third door from the end of the hall."

Hikari nodded.

"Thank you very much!" she said with a quick bow before she headed up the stairs. When she rounded the corner however, she realised she was too late. "Naruto!"

All three heads turned her way, making her gulp.

"Why what do we have here, a girlfriend?" the blue-skinned man asked as his teeth formed into a pointed smile. Hikari tried to stay calm, he was probably the creepiest man she had ever encountered and she had encountered some creepy people before. She shook her head, trying to rid the thoughts she didn't have time for and ran up to Naruto, standing behind him.

"We have to run, Naruto," she whispered and she grabbed onto his arm and started to pull him away from the two. He snapped out of his trance at her touch and then started to move.

"I'm afraid you're not going anywhere," the taller of the two spoke through his sadistic smile.

Hikari let out a gasp as she pushed Naruto and took the attack from the blue-skinned man. She screamed when she felt his sword land on her shoulder and then shred her shirt, along with the sensitive flesh underneath it. She quickly lifted her hand to the sword, pushed it away, and then pressed her hand down onto the wound, however, her hand only covered a very small portion of the wound that stretched from her collarbone to her forearm and even touched parts of her back and neck.

"Kisame," the other man said sternly.

"What? You said only said not to attack the boy, this girl is in the way," Kisame said as he put the sword over his shoulder.

Hikari's hand immediately stained crimson as the blood seeped between her fingers; a dramatic clash of colour against her alabaster skin.

"Naruto, you fool! Run for it!" she said through gritted teeth and she tried to hold in the tears started to blotch her eyes.

The pain was immense and unlike anything she had ever felt, she couldn't bear it anymore, she just wanted the soothing feeling of relief. Hikari let out another pain-filled yell when she tried to heal herself. She forgot that she had no chakra when her mind was filled with constant receptions of pain.

Suddenly a locked power started to surge and spread an intense heat through her body, boiling her blood and only bringing more pain. She screamed again as the fire started to spread.

The shorter of the two men narrowed his crimson eyes as he watched symbols appear on Hikari's skin, spreading from her back onto her arms and face.

_"A curse mark?"_ he asked himself mentally. _"Those are the symbols of heaven. This girl is the one that Madara mentioned…Hikari Koizumi. Her chakra has been blocked and if that wound isn't closed, she'll bleed to death. It seems that I am left without another option. It would not be wise to let her die."_

Hikari's eyes widened when the shorter man suddenly moved forwards and past Naruto, hitting her in the gut and making her let out another scream as she flung back and hit the wall, he shook the jutsu from his hand.

"Don't touch her, Kisame," he said firmly.

"Fine then, I get it, you want to watch her suffer," Kisame said with a smile. "You never cease to prove how cruel you are."

"Hikari!" Naruto yelled turning to look at her. She grovelled and writhed as she tried to move, but eventually she gave up and fell to her side only able to watch what was happening and do nothing about it. Blood spilled down her arm and covered a lot of the white-cotton shirt she wore.

_"That must be Itachi…Sasuke's brother."_ Hikari's focused on the pain in her shoulder and just wished it would go away, her eyes widened when she began to feel the familiar and itchy sensation of her skin stitching itself back together. _"I have chakra? B-but how?"_ Her eyes focused on Itachi. _"No…that's not possible."_ As if to contradict her thoughts, the bruise she knew was forming on her abdomen throbbed.

The two men turned towards Naruto.

"Hey, Itachi, it'll be a pain in the neck if this kid tries to makes a run for it again, maybe I ought to chop off a leg," Kisame grabbed his sword and looked Naruto directly in the eyes. "Just in case…"

Naruto gulped.

"Run!" Hikari called. "It's not too late, get out of here!"

Silence fell.

"Right," Kisame said taking a step forwards.

Time slowed for Hikari.

"You idiot, RUN!"

Kisame got closer and Naruto wouldn't move an inch.

"It's been a long time…Sasuke" Hikari looked up and saw Sasuke at the end of the hall, instantly broken from her trance. Kisame raised a brow and looked over his shoulder. Hikari swallowed, though her throat was dry.

_"Sasuke doesn't stand a chance and I can't do anything because that bastard put a paralysis genjutsu on me! I think I may have to play the waiting game to break it, the pain receptors are still throbbing, so I would have to cause greater pain than what I am experiencing to break it. I can't do that by biting my lip, I have to wait it out until I can." _Hikari focused her chakra to the throbbing areas of her body to try and speed up the process.

"Itachi…Uchiha…" Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"Itachi Uchiha?" Naruto asked looking up at the crimson-eyed man.

"Well…the Sharingan?" Kisame asked with a smile. "And he looks an awful lot like you. Itachi, who is this kid?"

"He's my younger brother…"

"That's strange, 'cause the way I heard it the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out…by you." Kisame pointed out with curiosity laced in his voice, though Hikari couldn't help but hear it as teasing.

"Itachi Uchiha, I hope you're ready to die!" Hikari closed her eyes, unwilling to watch, she feared the worst. "It's just as you said, brother. I've fostered my hatred for you, all this time." Sasuke began to use a Chidori. "I've lived my life for one single purpose; TO SEE YOU DIE! IT ENDS HERE!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto called.

"ENOUGH! YOU'RE DEAD!" Sasuke threw his hand into the wall and ran at Itachi. "DIE!"

Hikari heard a crash and peeked through open eyes only to see that Itachi had simply grabbed Sasuke's wrist and redirected the jutsu. She frowned as Naruto made a handsign. Hikari had at least thought that Sasuke might be able to land a hit on him, but instead, Sasuke couldn't even manage to _touch_ his brother.

"Ah the air is ripe with chakra," Kisame said with a smirk. "This must be it, the power of the nine-tails."

Sasuke yelled and started to aim a punch at his brother.

"Enough." Along with his command, Itachi snapped Sasuke's wrist.

Hikari squeezed her eyes shut when she heard the sound of his scream.

"Alright that's it!" Naruto yelled.

"Too slow," Kisame said as he swiped his sword. The chakra flowing around Naruto disappeared.

_"No…"_ Hikari thought, _"we cannot be this screwed!"_

"Sorry kid, my blade, Samehada, cuts through chakra and devours it." Kisame looked towards Itachi. "We don't need the hassle of this kid whipping out anymore jutsu. Forget the legs, maybe I ought to start off with those arms of his." Naruto tried to summon more chakra, and stood shaking. "You're wasting your time." Kisame lifted his sword above Naruto's head.

"Naruto! Watch out!" Hikari yelled.

Kisame brought the blade down, but it was stopped when a cloud of smoke appeared. A toad stood in its place with its armoured arm guarding against the sword.

"What the?" Kisame asked with a raised brow.

"Thank god," Hikari muttered.

Hikari knew that now that they have back up, it was the time to break the jutsu. They would need all the help they could get to drive the two men off. Hikari bit down on her lip hard and drew blood, breaking the genjutsu and then leaping to her feet.

"I didn't tell you to get up…" Itachi said curtly.

A chill ran down Hikari's spine as he spoke his words. What scared her most about Itachi was how quiet he was, even when he was clearly annoyed, he didn't show any emotion and that made it so she would never know what he'd do next. That was the worst kind of opponent.

Despite being afraid, she reigned in her emotions and set a mild glare in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Do I look like I am even going to listen to a single word that comes from _your_ mouth? Seriously?" Hikari asked with a glare as she brought her hand to her lip, that she had split, and healed it. "That's not how it works."

Another cloud of smoke appeared.

"You two don't know me at all, do you?" the newly added person chuckled. "Should have done your homework. Jaraiya the Toad-Sage falls victim to no woman's charms. Rare beauties drop for _me_, like blossoms in a storm! It isn't in my nature to fall for the wiles of women. When you reach the stage I have, the ladies kneel and worship at your awesomeness!"

"Maybe we're screwed after all…" Hikari muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"As you can see, you fail!" Jaraiya yelled as he threw his outstretched fingers forwards, along with the rest of his arm.

"AH DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" Naruto exclaimed. "ONE WINK FROM A PRETTY GIRL AND YOU TURNED INTO A MOUTAIN OF MUSH!" Naruto pointed at him. "YOU FELL FOR IT LIKE A TON OF BRICKS, PERVY-SAGE!"

"I really wish you wouldn't call me that in front of other people…" Jaraiya said through his teeth with a very artificial close-eyed smile on his face.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Naruto yelled as he threw his hands into the air. Hikari raised her brow at the two. "WE'VE GOT WORSE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN WHAT THESE TWO THINK OF YOU! GET WITH IT, PERVY-SAGE!"

"DIDN'T I JUST ASK YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT?"

"Uh, if you two didn't notice, there happens to be two S-ranked criminals standing right _in front_ of us. Perhaps you shouldn't spend so much time harping like an old married couple and maybe, I don't know, _fight them_?" Hikari yelled with as she threw her arms in the air. "Unbelievable."

"So…you somehow managed to release the genjutsu we cast on her, eh?" Kisame asked with a chuckle.

Jaraiya put the woman, which he had been carrying, down and then leaned her against the wall.

"What kind of coward would do something like that?" he asked in a serious tone, "using his abilities to inflict an illusion on an innocent woman, all to separate Naruto from me."

"Naruto from I…" Hikari corrected. "If you're going to lecture, at least do it correctly."

"I know that he is the one you're really after…" Jaraiya added after ignoring her comment on his grammar.

"That explains how Kakashi knew," Itachi said thoughtfully. "Now I understand…he learned it, from you. You're right, Naruto is the prize that the Akatsuki are after and we will have him."

Hikari looked down at Sasuke.

_"This is only going to fuel ill feelings towards Naruto…"_ she thought. _"I'm not sure Sasuke will be able to handle this…"_

The Toad disappeared with a cloud of smoke, and Hikari got an even better view on the two criminals and Sasuke lying on the ground; she wanted nothing more than to help him but she wasn't sure she could get past Kisame and Itachi.

"There's no way you're getting Naruto," Jaraiya said seriously.

"We'll see about that…" Itachi said, and again, the quiet and almost velvety way he spoke made Hikari shiver. His voice was like honey and she wondered if it was all to catch his pray with.

"Actually, this is all very convenient," Jaraiya claimed as he stood up straight. "I can eliminate you both at the same time."

"Stay out of this…"

Hikari looked down at Sasuke with surprise, she thought he was unconscious. However, before her eyes, he was managing to stand up.

"The only one who is going to eliminate _him, _is me!"

"Sasuke, don't!" Hikari called as she stepped forwards, however she didn't move any further than that.

"You should listen to her…" Kisame said with a smirk.

"Go away," Itachi commanded. "You don't interest me at the moment."

Sasuke clenched his fist.

"Well, GET INTERESTED!" Sasuke yelled, only to have Itachi kick him in the gut and send him to the other side of the hallway.

"Sasuke!" Hikari said as she covered her mouth.

"I guess I was wrong about whose girlfriend you are," Kisame said as he let out a laugh.

"Sasuke, no!" Naruto yelled when he hit the wall. "Damn you lousy-"

"No Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as he watched Naruto start to run forwards. "Don't butt in, mind your own business!" Naruto stopped in his tracks. Sasuke started to stand up. "I've told you before; I've lived my whole life for this day. This moment, THIS FIGHT IS MINE!"

Sasuke ran forwards and Hikari closed her eyes, only to hear the slap of Itachi's block and then the thud of his attack. Sasuke hit the wall again and this time he coughed out blood.

"Sasuke…" Hikari said quietly.

"I'm not finished…" Sasuke said between groans. "This fight is mine."

"So be it…"

Itachi's steps towards Sasuke were ominous and slow.

"No, please don't!" Hikari yelled as she ran forwards and grabbed his arm. "Please!"

Itachi glanced at her and time froze for a moment; all she could focus on were his scarlet eyes that were staring back into her own violet ones. She didn't want to look away from his gaze, it was as it held her in a trance, one she didn't want to break free from.

After struggling with herself, she forced her gaze to the ground as she swallowed the lump in her throat and then dropped his arm from her grasp. As her senses returned, time sped to its normal flow.

Regardless of her request, Itachi looked away from her and continued walking towards Sasuke.

Jaraiya went to move, but Kisame blocked him.

"You heard him, old man, this fight is none of our business…"

Hikari felt tears slip down her cheeks; she wanted to interfere, but she knew better than to make that mistake twice.

"Let's let the two of them sort it out…" Kisame said with a chuckle.

"Sasuke…"

Hikari closed her eyes again, unwilling to watch the rest. Unwilling to face the coward inside, because she knew the real reason she didn't want to move was because the way Itachi's eyes had captured and held hers; she also knew that she couldn't say it was against her will either.


	36. Chapter XXXIII

_**Chapter XXXIII:**_

Hikari awoke to blinding amber leaking through her open curtains. She groaned as she pulled her blanket over her head, however, she didn't try to go back to sleep. She simply blinked away the sleep from her eyes as she yawned.

Suddenly, like every day since the incident concerning the Akatsuki, her mind took off in a rush of uncertain thoughts pertaining to a certain Uchiha.

When she thought of the incident, she thought of Sasuke who was in the hospital and then her caretaker, who was also in the hospital; both were suffering from a coma induced by Itachi Uchiha.

A sour taste filled her mouth when she thought of the cruel man who had made her watch as he beat Sasuke within an inch of his life.

She hated herself for being so fascinated with the elder Uchiha brother. Ever since she truly accepted that it was he who freed her chakra from its seal, and by extension saved her life by doing so, she felt a connection to the man; she craved to know _why _he had done it. So, she did only what was natural for a curious human being, she drove herself crazy by none-stop hypothetical-questions and theories.

She threw herself into a sitting position as she looked at her hands, all the cuts and scrapes that wouldn't heal before she met Itachi were gone and even some had faded to light scars.

_"This is going to be the death of me. As it is, Sasuke has to be pretty upset with me…"_ Her mind flashed to when she had grabbed Itachi and practically begged him not to harm Sasuke. She remembered looking up through her bangs and seeing the look of betrayal in Sasuke's eyes.

Hikari groaned and threw her head into her hands, letting a frustrated noise pass through them. With a final sigh, she pulled the blankets from her body and stood. Hikari decided upon having a quick shower and then getting changed. It didn't take her long to go to her closet and then journey to the showering room.

No matter how hot and soothing the water was, it didn't keep her troubling thoughts from bouncing around in her head. So many questions were running through her mind at once, she felt like her head was going to explode if it kept up.

Hikari knew that standing around was not going to answer any of her questions, she supposed she had to start somewhere and the first thought that came to mind was talking to someone who could think a lot more logically than her on the situation at hand. Her mind settled on three people, however one was in the hospital and the other on a mission, so she decided upon the last; Hoshi.

…

It didn't take Hikari nearly as long as she thought it would to hunt down Hoshi on a Saturday afternoon, she thought she'd find him with Tenten, but it was Tenten who redirected her to his location; the training grounds. What he was doing there on his day off was beyond Hikari.

"Hey, Hoshi?" she called as she walked towards him. He stood in the center of the field, his eyes closed as he let the light breeze caress his skin, she could tell he was doing exactly that by the way his body was slack and relaxed and how his hands were slightly upturned, letting the breeze kiss his fingertips. "What are you training for, how to become a plant and learn photosynthesis?"

Hoshi turned towards her with a light smile playing on his lips.

"Hello to you too," he greeted with a friendly gesture of his hand. "Long time no see. Is that how you treat your team mates?"

Hikari nodded with a smirk.

"By 'treat', do you mean only ever talking to you guys about missions? Cause if so, believe or not, a mission is not what I'm here for. I want to talk to you about something that's bothering me."

"Ah, the second reason why Hikari has appeared," Hoshi snickered.

"What's with you? You seem very light and happy. I need to ruin this for you," Hikari said, never losing her smirk, as she folded her arms; the boy always seemed to have a way of lifting her mood.

"Not that big really, I just got Tenten to go out to dinner with me tomorrow is all, I guess I'm happy about that," Hoshi murmured as patted the ground next to him. "Sit, tell me what's up."

Hikari walked through the soft grass and then sat down next to him. She folded her arms over her knees and with a sigh, rested her chin on them.

"It's about how Sasuke got put in the hospital," Hikari muttered. "You cannot divulge this information I'm about to share with you, it's top secret…"

"Hikari, I'm training to be in the special information corps, I'm pretty sure I can keep a secret," he said with a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Do you know of what happened to the Uchiha?" Hikari asked as she looked up and into his eyes, looking for any sign of loyalty; she knew Hoshi wouldn't betray her, but she felt like she needed to _see_ it anyways.

"They were killed by one of their own," Hoshi said with a shrug.

"It was Sasuke's elder brother," Hikari informed with a frown very visible on her features, "he killed everyone but Sasuke. The other week he appeared in the village and put Kakashi in the hospital. From what I understand he's joined an organization called the Akatsuki and was here to capture Naruto…he's the one who hurt Sasuke so badly."

Hoshi blinked with confusion.

"Well, I think you're just going to have to get-" Hikari cut him off as a groan of frustration passing through her lips.

"Remember how my chakra was sealed? Well his team-mate cut- no, _flayed_ my entire shoulder. I would have bled to death because I didn't have my chakra-healing abilities, but then something weird happened…he unsealed my chakra, Hoshi. He spared my life, but then put a paralysis genjutsu on me. I don't understand." Hikari shuttered. "What's worse is every time I think of him, his face, voice, and eyes send chills throughout my body and they're not…" she trailed off. "I'm so confused."

Hoshi sighed.

"This is strange, Hikari. I'm not really sure what I can say…" He put his hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't try to understand, just let what happened be. I don't think worrying about it will solve or change anything."

"I did something bad, Hoshi," Hikari confided. "I think Sasuke's going to be very _upset _with me…"

"Do I want to know? I'm sorry to say this, Hikari, but he has the temper of a bull…" Hoshi looked down at her with a frown. "Very small things make him 'upset'."

"Sasuke wants to kill Itachi, he has since Itachi murdered their family. I don't blame him, but he was nowhere near ready. Sasuke kept on trying to fight Itachi and when the words 'so be it' slipped from his mouth, I couldn't help myself…"

"What did you do, Hikari?" Hoshi asked quietly.

Tension and suspense lingered in the air as she tried to fight down her nerves and force the words to her tongue.

"I begged Itachi not to fight him, I even grabbed a hold on his arm to try and stop him. I know this struck a nerve, I saw the betrayal in Sasuke's eyes, I didn't believe in his strength…I didn't believe in him, so I resorted to begging for his life for him…"

"Hikari…" Hoshi said with a sigh. "I know that Sasuke will most likely think that way, but he should see you're a blessing in disguise. You proved how deeply you care by intervening; however, I don't think Sasuke will take it that way. I think he is going to be angry with you about it…I think the best thing you can do to help this situation is to talk to him…"

Hikari nodded.

"I'm just afraid of what he'll say. He might feel I'm not worth-" this time, Hoshi cut into her speech, interjecting with a very stern tone.

"If he even so much as utters those words, he'll have me to deal with. I don't take lightly to ungrateful bastards."

Hikari's eyes widened as she looked up at him with shock, she had never heard him speak so harshly. "You are a _good_ person, Hikari…you do not deserve to be treated that way, Sasuke needs to broaden his perspectives."

"I hope that you have no reason to interfere," she murmured after she got over her initial shock.

"Come here," Hoshi said quietly as he opened his arms. "You look tired."

Hikari leaned into him and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling on his fingers in her hair; she knew it was nothing more than brotherly affection, so his proximity to her, and the way he touched her, didn't worry her like it did when Sora tried the same thing. She took in a deep breath, and just like that, Hoshi had let her fall into the sleep she had been trying to get for the past few weeks.

…

"That Tsunade woman fixed Sasuke?" Hikari asked, and in return, Asami nodded.

"Go see him! You must be dying to speak to him since you haven't in weeks!"

Hikari swallowed her fear.

"You have no idea," she muttered.

Asami smiled at her before picking up the bag she had set down and then continuing on her way to her home.

In truth, Hikari was really nervous about seeing Sasuke; she still was unsure of his reaction to the events that landed him in the hospital.

She looked down the road she had come from and saw the Hospital coincidentally looming over the lonely street. Turning from the street, she sighed as she walked towards the building that had just suddenly become very ominous.

…

Hikari took in one last assuring breath as she opened the door to Sasuke's room. He looked up at her and she thought she saw relief deep within his eyes, but his frown is what scared her the most.

She shut the door, feeling her heart unclench as she broke eye contact for the short moment to do so. Each step made her feet feel unrealistically weighed down and it made her feel like she was inching towards him very slowly. She slid into the chair in front of his bed and then hung her head, deciding her hands were more interesting that anything else, it didn't make the tension of the room fade away, however. As the silence grew, so did her nerves and fears and her mind played out the worst of situations.

Suddenly, the tears started to fall.

"I'm sorry."

Her words came out broken, like her spirit had just been smothered. Warm droplets of salty-water fell onto her hands when he didn't answer her apology. She came to the conclusion that her mistake was even greater than she first expected. Hikari realised she had been holding her breath, so she let it out and then held another.

"Why?" Hikari blinked and looked up at Sasuke. He was looking somewhere far away; his eyes blank and hidden. "Why are you apologising? I was the one who couldn't even protect you. Are you hurt?"

Hikari swallowed and shook her head.

"I was, but now I am fine," she uttered through barely parted lips.

"Why did you ask him not to fight me?"

The question came up and hit her with sudden weight, crushing her; she thought, for just a brief moment, she had been off the hook. Her nerves shot sky-high, and she started to shake again.

"I thought you were going to die!" Her tears started again. "I didn't know what to do, I was desperate to save you from him and I knew you wouldn't listen…"

Sasuke took a long time to respond, as if he was carefully choosing his words.

"I hated the way you looked at him," he admitted.

"What?" Hikari asked quietly as she looked at him, confusion showing in her eyes.

"I hated the way you looked at him. It was as if you needed him. I hated it. You shouldn't need anyone but me."

Hikari blinked.

"I _needed _him not to kill you," Hikari said in desperation. "I _needed_ him not to hurt you so that I could have you here with me! He beat you within an inch of your life, if master Jaraiya hadn't of stopped him, he would have killed you."

The tears really started to cascade down her cheeks now, soaking them and creating a rosy hue around her puffy eyes.

"I can't lose you, Sasuke. You're all I have left. My parents are dead and so is the rest of my family." Hikari's heart clenched once again as she looked away from him. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, but I'd do it again if I thought it would save your life."

Sasuke sighed. He wasn't necessarily ready to forgive her, but he hated the idea of making her cry.

"Come here," he murmured. She blinked and looked up at him with questioning eyes. "Come on. I don't have all day."

Hikari stood and then crawled into the bed next to him, laying her head on his shoulder like she had the other time he was in the hospital. Sasuke brought his hand up to her head and lightly stroked her hair. It was so much more than when Hoshi had done it to her a few weeks before; it was a very different kind of affection she felt in Sasuke's touch. She breathed in his scent and closed her eyes enjoying the closeness. She sensed he wasn't satisfied with the situation, but she was just as happy to drop it and get over it. However, she felt the need to say one last thing.

"I'm sorry…"

"I know you are," he said quietly, "but it doesn't matter, you were only trying to help. I can't change the past. Believe me, if I could, a lot of things would be different."


	37. Chapter XXXIV

_**Chapter XXXIV:**_

"I'll come back tomorrow, okay Sasuke?"

Sasuke didn't look up at her from his hospital bed, only briefly acknowledged her with a nod of his head; this had been occurring very often. Hikari wanted to say more, but didn't know what she could say that would make him want her to be there.

"Rest up. You're bound to have a mission soon. I'm sorry I have to go, but I've been ordered by the new Hokage to come and see her. They want to repair my chakra network, it still has a lot of damage." Again she wasn't given an answer. "Right then."

Trying not to show the disappointment in her eyes, she stood and grabbed her messenger bag that she had brought him a small get-well gift in.

"By the way…" she started, uncertain of herself, "your birthday gift, it's in my house, i'll bring that tomorrow too."

She waited a small moment to see if he would reply, but he just continued to look down at his hands. His expression forced a buried memory to resurface, fresh at the forefront of her mind, she remembered what the sound-shinobi who had captured her said about driving them apart. She swallowed her despair.

"I lo-" she shook her head and released her breath. "Never mind, it's not important." …

When Hikari exited the hallway and came to the stairs, she noticed Sakura, carrying a flower. She greeted her with sad eyes.

"Is something wrong, Hikari?"

Hikari blinked and looked up at her.

"Me? Oh no, I'm fine," Hikari lied quietly. "Hospitals just depress me, that's all."

Sakura nodded.

"I know what you're talking about. It's tough seeing people sick or hurt." Sakura took in her appearance; to her, Hikari looked sick herself because of the large purpling bags under her eyes. Instead of asking what was wrong with the other kunoichi, she put a smile on her face. "Were you visiting Sasuke?"

Hikari nodded.

"Yeah, I was. I told him I'd come back tomorrow, but…well, he doesn't seem like he's in the mood for company." Hikari hesitated and then wiped her eyes. "I have to go, Lady Hokage is waiting for me."

Sakura nodded and looked at Hikari with sympathetic eyes, though she didn't know what she pitied, she just knew that Hikari looked sad.

"I'll see you around, Sakura."

…

"Are you Hikari Koizumi?"

Hikari looked up at the woman standing in front of her. She struck Hikari as slightly rude because of her harsh tone and Hikari was in no mood for annoyances.

The woman standing in front of her had long blond tresses held back into lose ponytails and honey brown eyes. Despite her angelic demeanour, she looked extremely aggressive on top of everything else.

"Could you tell me to the best of your knowledge what happened to you?"

"Milady, are we talking in strict confidence?"

The Hokage raised her brow.

"Yes, this is medical information, Hikari, I don't have the right to give that out to anyone."

"Okay, as far as I understand, during the Chuunin exams I was captured by an enemy shinobi from Otogakure. From there I was brought to another ninja, because I awoke and heard them speaking, of what I'm not really sure of; I couldn't really make out what they were saying because I was a bit groggy." Hikari paused. "The ninja said that he sedated me though, I did catch that because I remember wondering why I was even awake. I soon found out from my own trying to heal myself that I couldn't access my chakra. Upon further inspection, it was apparent that a seal had been placed on me, however there was no one in the village who could break it." Tsunade frowned. "Yes, there is more. But this information is what I must ask you to never tell another soul without my permission."

Tsunade looked as if she was debating the request.

"You have my word."

Hikari sighed with relief.

"When I went with Sasuke to find Naruto because Itachi Uchiha appeared in the village, he broke that seal that no one else in this village could; he made it look like he punched me in the gut as a cover-up. I would have bled to death if he hadn't of done this because that man named Kisame pretty much flayed my shoulder with his blade. From my shoulder to my forearm was exposed and bloody. I am worried about this incident, milady. I don't know why he did what he did, but it saved my life."

"Hikari you understand I have to tell the Jounin," Tsunade said seriously. "Itachi Uchiha is an S-ranked criminal and wanted in all nations; the fact that he did this leads me to believe the Akatsuki have some interest in you. Because of this, I am thinking some protection program needs to be put forth. The organization Itachi works for is dangerous and they want only one thing, the Jinchuuriki, they must think you're a way towards the one residing here."

Hikari frowned, now far past annoyed that the new Hokage had suddenly changed her mind.

"Milady, if Sasuke finds out that Itachi did this-"

"Anything concerning Itachi or his whereabouts is to be strictly hidden from Sasuke. I cannot trust him with this kind of information after the stunt he pulled last time. This information will not reach his ears, however I must tell the other Jounin that I suspect the Akatsuki may be after you. I won't tell anyone the details of the incident unless I have to. This information will be given out on a strict need-to-know basis. That means the caretaker you have, your aunt and your uncle will all be informed."

Hikari's frown did not disappear with Tsunade's attempt to reason with her.

"I know this is not what I swore to, but I didn't realise the matter would be this urgent. My job overrides the code of conduct."

Hikari nodded with a sigh, even she knew there was no way to make this woman change her mind.

"Just don't let Sasuke know, okay?"

Tsunade nodded.

"He will not be informed. However, I need to run a few scans on you, I have a feeling you have network damage."

"I know I do," Hikari uttered. "My Jutsu aren't working properly."

Tsunade nodded again.

"Alright, sit down on the table here. I will go get supplies to fix this."

…

Sasuke walked down the road that would lead him to Kakashi's home. He had decided that he could no longer follow the path of being a shinobi of Konoha and that he had to leave; unfortunately, that meant leaving Hikari behind as well.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he came near the house and then turned so he would enter through the back yard. Like he expected, Hikari's window was wide open, letting the late summer breeze flood into her room. It didn't take him much effort to jump onto the windowsill.

He instantly regretted coming once he saw her. For whatever reason, and he assumed it was something he caused, she had been crying; he knew this was a face because of the tears he saw shining of her face under the moon's light. He doubted she had been asleep very long.

He softly padded towards her, barely hearing his own feet against the hard wood of her floor.

Hikari groaned and turned over in her sleep, facing the window he came out of instead of her ceiling; he froze. However, it didn't take him long to realise that she hadn't woken up.

He walked the rest of the way to her bed and then lightly put the envelop, he had been carrying stuffed inside of his pocket, down onto her night stand. He looked at his own slanted writing of her name with a sigh.

For just a moment, he felt a tinge of hesitation wash over him as he looked down at her sleeping form. He knelt down in front of her and lightly touched the soft skin of her cheek, trailing his finger along its surface and she didn't stir. He closed his eyes and leaned forwards, leaving the smallest ghost of a kiss on her forehead. He knew he couldn't bring her to where he was going, he only wished she wouldn't hate him for it, the thought was unbearable. Yet, he knew it was a sacrifice he had to make to become more powerful, to avenge his clan. He only hoped she would still be here when he finally attained his goal, he didn't want anyone else and couldn't stand the idea of coming back to see all the familiar faces except hers.

He could imagine her aubergine eyes leering towards him for leaving her.

A new thought suddenly hit him, what if he never returned? A new image of Hikari invaded his mind, one of her in a house by herself, standing in front of the window as if someone was about to walk up the path to enter. No one was there, he wasn't there and because of it tears ran from her eyes.

Again, for the smallest moment, he hesitated in his decision to leave. However, the hesitation didn't last long when he imagined the way Itachi had looked at Hikari, a questioning and curious glance, but there was something more to it. The idea churned Sasuke's stomach. The only comfort he took from this was the fact that he knew that Itachi could never sink his poison into Hikari's veins, she was safe inside of the village.

He brought his hand to her face once again, as if mapping out the surface and placing it to memory with light caresses. He sighed and stood, gently bringing his hand away from her face and giving Hikari one last looking with longing eyes before he jumped out the window and disappeared into the night, vanishing from Konohagakure.

The regret had already started to seep into his mind, whispering the most haunting thoughts, however, he couldn't afford to turn around.

…

A gust of wind blew Hikari's bangs off of her forehead and awoke her with a start. Her room was pitch-black and she was ready to go back to bed until she heard a thud. She suddenly shot upright and then walked to the window, looking out into the yard. She saw a person on the corner of the street turn and then disappear from her sight down the road. However, there was no one in her yard. The absence of a presence didn't make her feel any more comfortable and ready to sleep, if anything, it made a dark feeling swell inside.

Something wasn't right, she knew that much.

Pushing down the feeling of foreboding, she shut her window and then walked towards her closet to find something to wear after having a shower, however the moonlight suddenly shone onto her bed and she felt a sense of tiredness wash over her again.

Sighing, she closed the closet door and then padded back to her bed, climbing under the comforter and falling into a deep sleep, determined not to wake until the morning, she was supposed to go see Sasuke in the hospital, she had to be well rested.

She was determined to go and tell him how much he meant to her, she felt like he needed to know.


	38. Chapter XXXV

_**Chapter XXXV:**_

Hikari awoke to the sun cascading into her room and shining into her eyes. She blinked and then let out a yawn. Stretching, she sat up and then eventually stood up after getting over the idea of sleeping some more.

"Do I have a mission today?" Hikari wondered as she dragged her normal shinobi attire out of her closet.

She walked to the shower with a yawn and then smiled when she felt the warm water run down her body. She used all the soaps she needed and then turned off the water. After toweling off and getting dressed she brushed her hair and threw it up into a ponytail. She brushed her teeth and then left the bathroom without forgetting to turn off the light like a certain other resident of the house did.

Hikari walked down the hallway and into the kitchen area, she frowned when she didn't see someone at the table eating toast and reading the paper, Kakashi still wasn't home. Without him, it was lonely in the house.

She looked at the clock and took note that visiting hours at the hospital didn't start for another hour.

"I'll see if Daisuke has repaired that glove, he only lives down the road with Asami…"

Hikari put on her shinobi sandals and then slipped out the door, closing and locking it as she went. Hikari ran down the steps and then towards Asami's house, she figured it would be better to get there early because Daisuke liked to talk.

…

"Daisuke? Asami? Open up!"

Hikari let herself into the house and saw Daisuke tinkering with the hilt of a Katana. She looked to the kitchen and saw Asami putting groceries into the fridge.

"Hey guys, you should answer your door more often…"

"Answering the door would require me to stop trying to fix this hilt, and stop Asami from doing whatever she's doing. Don't be lazy, you know how to kill someone, I can only imagine opening a door would be child's play…"

Hikari shrugged.

"It's called hospitality…" Hikari shut the door and walked further into the house. "Have you finished the glove repairs?"

"Yeah it's right there," Daisuke said as he pointed to the coffee table in front of the couch. Hikari walked over to it and put the glove on as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

Hikari tightened the straps as she listened absentmindedly to Asami's half of the conversation.

"What did you say!? How did this happen!?"

Hikari raised her brow and looked towards Asami curiously.

"Something wrong?" Daisuke asked.

Asami hung up the phone.

"Hikari, sit."

Hikari blinked and did as she was told.

"Sasuke left the village and is heading towards Otogakure village as we speak." Hikari looked at her as if she had grown an extra head. "Didn't you hear me, Hikari!? Sasuke is on his way to Orochimaru!"

"W-What?"

"Think about it Hikari, he went to get power!"

"What is the village doing about this?" Hikari asked quietly.

"A group of shinobi are gathering outside the gate in an hour, they're going to-" before Asami could finish, Hikari bolted from her spot and out the door, running as fast as she could to her home. She couldn't just let a team of ninja go without her, she needed to be there too. Sasuke meant everything to her.

She ran inside her house and into her room, where she gathered her ninja gear and started to equip it to her person. Hikari scrambled to get all of her stuff and ran to her nightstand to grab her kunai pouch, but then frowned when she saw a small envelope that had been neatly place onto the wooden surface. It had her name on it and she could recognise the handwriting anywhere, it was Sasuke's.

She quickly fumbled with the envelop and practically tore the letter out of its package.

_Hikari, _

I thought I could stay in Konoha and make a new life, but confronting Itachi changed my mind. I know that in the last couple of days I have been distant, but I have been thinking of my options and I have realised that this path is the only one for me.

Us being together was a waste of time, nothing but me striving to obtain a future I can never have when Itachi is alive and out there, not paying for the injustices towards my family. I cannot let him go unchecked. I swore to protect you and I am. I cannot let you come with me, this is my issue, my revenge. I know you hate it when people think for you, just don't hate me for it.

-Sasuke.

PS- this necklace is what I got for your birthday. I couldn't keep it. Do what you want with it.

After reading the letter, Hikari didn't move for several minutes, she just stared at Sasuke's slightly slanted handwriting. Before she knew it, tears were blotching some of the ink, and she quickly stuffed the letter back into it's envelop, safe from her misery.

The last thing she expected when she decided to stay in Konoha was for Sasuke to leave her alone there. She suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of chaos, like inside, a piece of her shattered; she didn't know where to begin to pick up the pieces, or even if she wanted to make her hands bleed by trying.

Right there, standing in the middle of her bedroom she realised her entire life in Konoha was crumbling around her. That cold ruthless shinobi raised by her father was remerging after she had tried so hard to suppress it, whispering 'I told you so's in the forefront of her mind.

She needed him back and if she was going to hold herself together, she needed to run to the gates now, or she wouldn't have the chance to find him and she would lose the life she had built up forever. Konoha might as well as be empty without Sasuke Uchiha in it.

…

"I'm sorry, Hikari, but I can't let you come…" Shikamaru sighed. "It's policy, you could compromise the mission…"

"And Naruto wouldn't?" Hikari asked with a glare. "I'm not the only one that Sasuke means a lot too here."

"I'm sorry, Hikari. I can't." Shikamaru sighed and walked forwards. "I know you want to give him a piece of your mind, but if something happened to you on this mission I would be afraid of him killing us all…" He put his hand on her shoulder. "We'll bring him back to you."

"Don't worry, Hikari-chan!" Naruto said with a toothy grin. "Sasuke is going to come back with us, and if he tries not to, I will drag him back kicking and screaming! I promise!"

"I can't make you promise me that, Naruto…" Hikari uttered quietly. "I…I just can't…"

"He'll come back," Shikamaru said.

"I just want you all to come back in one piece, okay?" Hikari asked quietly, looking around. "Make sure you take care of each other, and here, these are for you guys…" Hikari put a bag in Shikamaru's hands. "I know it's disgusting and I don't mean to turn you all into temporary vampires, but if you drink the blood in those vials, it will heal you. It will save you when you cannot save yourselves. There's one for each of you, take care of them. They're gifts from the Koizumi clan for your bravery, please don't let them fall into enemy hands."

"We appreciate that, Hikari," Kiba said quietly.

Hikari sighed as turned around and walked back inside of the gates, slowly beginning to feel herself fade even more.

Now she was dependent on the five people venturing into the outskirts of the land of fire, to save the person who could save her. It seemed so out of reach and her mind was becoming more and more lost by the moments. She was slowly beginning to revert and she didn't know if she could stop it. All over again, she was failing.


	39. Chapter XXXVI

_**Chapter XXXVI:**_

_"I wonder why the new Hokage called me home from my mission…"_ Hoshi thought as he walked through the hall and towards the large doors. He stopped when he heard voices from inside the Hokage's office.

"Something is strange about that girl's past."

_"That must be the new Hokage,"_ Hoshi thought with a sigh, as he brought his hand to the door.

"I assure you there is nothing wrong with Hikari, my lady!" Hoshi blinked and brought his hand away from the door.

"Then tell me why she showed up a year before the Hokage died and has very suspicious roots! She is connected to Otogakure, I know it! She has the curse mark and she just magically cannot be found when Sasuke Uchiha disappears? Iruka, where did you find her!?"

"I found her in the village that got destroyed a year ago, my lady. She almost died in the explosion."

"Yes, I looked back into that village's records, because believe it or not we seem to keep those, and there was never a Koizumi-family listed there!"

"Don't you know of her mother!? She was kidnapped, my lady. Her family was probably not listed under Koizumi!"

"Then explain to me why there was never a child named Hikari born the date she claims is her birthday in the village!?"

"She could have been born outside the village!"

"There are not any records of a Hikari Koizumi born on August 17th of that year in all of the fire country! Iruka, she is a spy!"

"My lady the records could be missing! Hikari would never do something like that!"

"Iruka, I want you to understand what I am saying very clearly. I want her arrested. I have one more person to interrogate and then I am getting the ANBU involved. She will be tortured for information because I believe she is an enemy from the Otogakure sent here to gather information on the former Hokage and assist in his assassination!"

Hoshi couldn't listen to any more. He was too shocked to process everything the new Hokage had said, but he understood one thing; he had to warn Hikari.

…

Everything Hikari felt towards Sasuke had once been unquestionable love, but that had been snuffed out. Something new, yet familiar from her past licked at her insides, making her heart sick with hate. Her feelings for him were ablaze, but in the wrong way. The person she had worked so hard to build up in Konoha had been destroyed as well. Instead, the person she had suppressed when she threw her old headband into the gutter took its place, cold, questioning and dark. Trust no one.

Sasuke wasn't coming back to Konoha, she accepted that. However, she didn't know what to do with herself now. It had only been hours since the team had left, but it felt like months. She got the message from his letter, the one that was pressed up against her heart, that he was leaving and he wasn't coming back. He had also snuffed out everything he felt for her.

There was a small spark of hope for her, she still had the village. She still had Asami, Daisuke, Hoshi, Kakashi and Sora; yet it all felt so empty without Sasuke. Like a void. She wondered if he had just been a dream, a small wisp of what she hoped for, gone in an instant, trying to hurt her like everybody who had grown close to her had done in the past; perhaps it was another case of self-inflicted pain.

"Hikari?"

Hikari blinked, and looked up at the door.

"Hikari it's urgent!"

Before Hikari could even stand from the couch, Hoshi barged into the house.

"Wow, you're actually here," Hoshi said as he looked around. "People said you disappeared."

"I was in Sasuke's house," Hikari said as she looked down at her feet.

"Never mind that, you have to get out of here now, the ANBU are on their way!"

"What?" Hikari asked with widened eyes.

"I heard the Hokage, she says you're a spy and she's going to torture you!"

Hikari didn't give Hoshi the chance to say anymore, she ran through the hallway and into her room, grabbing her backpack from beneath her bed and began to stuff it with everything most precious to her. "It's true isn't it?"

"I'm not a spy, I am an assassin, I was sent here to kill whoever the Jinchuuriki of the village is," Hikari said as she threw in Sasuke's birthday present.

"Naruto?"

Hikari has suspected as much, but didn't think hard on it, that wasn't her mission any more.

"In the end I couldn't do it and I gave my father a royal 'fuck off'. I was going to live here, but now Sasuke's gone and that bitch found out."

Hikari suddenly looked up at Hoshi with deep pools that he didn't recognise, they were cold, and calculating. He finally saw that she was a true elite shinobi, she had just been hiding it and burying it deep down inside of herself. However, for Hoshi, what was worse than seeing the ruthless-shinobi under her skin, was the years of pain he saw in her eyes. No matter what, Hikari was still his friend.

"Hoshi if you know what's good for you, you will leave this house and never say you came here. I have to leave, but tell Sora I ran because of Sasuke. I don't want him to know about what I really am, it would crush him. Make sure that's what Tsunade tells everyone too. Believe me, it will be better for the village's reputation that she does."

"But where are you going, Hikari?" Hoshi asked in a worried tone.

"I'm going back where I belong…home…" Hikari sighed. "I was kidding myself for so long thinking I could live here. I was wrong."

"Are you ever going to come back?" Hoshi asked quietly as he looked at her.

"Probably not. I'll be lucky if my _father _doesn't torture me…"

"So your father isn't dead."

"No Hoshi!" Hikari yelled as she turned towards him. "I am a lie! The person you know doesn't exist, just go! Go and forget about me!" He stood rooted to his spot. Hikari's next words came out in a threatening growl. "If you won't leave, then I will. However, you can deal with the ANBU…"

Hikari ran towards the window and jumped out of it. Hoshi ran after her, but saw she was already gone.

He knew, without a doubt, that she was going to slip out of the village without anyone knowing. He blinked and then jumped out the window as well, deciding to go to the Hokage so he didn't make himself suspicious by not showing up. He just hoped Hikari was worth lying for.

He knew a small part of her existed because he saw the intense sadness and betrayal in her eyes; at least he knew she felt something, even if it was only something towards Sasuke. It was probably even something that wasn't positive, but, at least he knew Hikari still existed inside of her shell. He also could tell that the Hikari he knew was the person she longed to be, coming to this conclusion made him realise that Sasuke was the catalyst to take that all away from her. Perhaps Sora wasn't so wrong about the Uchiha after all. He had ruined her in a manner of hours.

…

Hikari didn't expect to catch up with Sasuke as quickly as she had, however it was too late to help Naruto in any sense, shape, or form.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her with a cold stare.

"I was drove from the village. I'm a rogue now."

"Why!?" he demanded. "Why did you leave? You were safe there! Why would you throw all of that away to come and find me? Don't you understand, Hikari? I don't want you here."

Hikari's eyebrow twitched with annoyance and she shifted her weight onto one leg as she lifted her hand to her hip; a mannerism Sasuke had never seen from her before, but it was strangely fluid, like she had done it a million times.

"Let's get one thing straight, Uchiha," Hikari said as she glared at him with seemingly well-trained eyes. She was so formal that it shocked him, so cold. "I'm wasn't safe there, if I didn't leave, I would have been tortured for information on my home village. I'm not the little helpless girl you thought I was. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am an enemy of the leaf. I snuck into the village when I blew up the one I pretended to be from. I was planted into the leaf for an assassination mission." Sasuke's eyes widened. "However, that doesn't change who I am. Unlike most the people in the leaf, I actually showed my true self to you on occasion." Hikari paused as she reached into the bag on her hip and took a box from within. "Seeing as you gave me my birthday present, I only saw it fit as to return to the favour. Do what you want with them…"

Hikari threw the box towards him and he caught it. She looked around the lush green forest and sighed.

"Look, Hikari-"

"Don't," she demanded, "don't start. I don't want anything to do with you. Do you understand?" Her words were uttered in a hiss. "Like you said, you were only wasting your time, except for me it felt real, real enough that I would deny my father everything. I turned my back on my village for you…" Hikari shook her head. "But not all of us aren't cowards, are we? So yes, do what you need to in order to get stronger, but at least you have a choice to go wherever you like, I don't. I _must_ return to my father now. I understand your need for revenge, but that doesn't make me think any higher of you. I hope I never have to see you again. Actually, just to ensure that, stay away from me." Hikari turned around. "Have a good life Sasuke, may everything you wish be obtained, however when you feel the complete hollowness and the emptiness your wishes grant you, I hope you always remember you had another option…"

With her final words, Hikari disappeared, teleporting to somewhere far. It took a large portion of chakra, but she needed to get away from Sasuke and closer to her father. Somehow though, she knew she would never be the same again. Hikari knew that Konoha had changed her life for the worse. She closed her eyes and suppressed it all; the memories, laughter, tears, and friendships, absolutely everything she worked so hard to obtain.

Where she was going, she couldn't afford to be the orphaned Hikari Koizumi, no, she had to become someone much colder to survive.

…

"Swear your allegiance to me, child."

"I swear myself to your service."

She didn't look up from the floor, nor did she attempt to stand from her kneeling position in front of her father.

"She sounds so broken, Lord Orochimaru."

She looked up at her father with dull eyes and would never forget the smile on his face.

"Yes, that is what I want. I think from now on, she won't disobey me."

"It seems that all it took to break her was for Sasuke to come here," Kabuto commented, trying to please his master.

Orochimaru smirked as he stood and walked towards her. He held out something in his palm for her to take, but she made no motion to take it from him.

"I don't need that," she said as she averted her eyes.

Orochimaru walked around her and tied the headband onto her head, letting the thin metal plate slide onto her forehead and allowing everyone to see just who she belonged to. He grabbed both of her shoulders and then proceeded to whisper in her ear.

"But you do, my child. Every shinobi in this village must understand that the elite shinobi who owns no name belongs to me, they must know that the Hebiko has returned."

_To be continued…_


End file.
